The Absence of Light
by soulful-sin
Summary: (Warning: character death, cruelty, violence, etc). Timmy follows the trail to discover his godmother painted in blood. How did this happen? When did the lovable fairy become so corrupted by darkness?
1. Black

**A/N**: This would make a charming series, although I don't see myself chasing after it for very long. I don't know what possessed me to write it tonight, but I pushed myself until I decided it was a good ending place. I like Wanda in this form, though, corrupted and cold. Inspired by Homestuck, my post-apocalyptic book, and just general dark feelings.

I'll see how people react to it. Warnings: character death, violence, and cruelty. In other words- this is not child tested, mother approved. One more thing- you might want to keep "Black" from Homestuck's fourth album in mind with this fic.

_"Make her a member of the Midnight Crew…"_

***  
>"The Absence of Light"<p>

Timmy's nostrils were clogged with the smell of dead bodies. After throwing up his breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he thought there was nothing left. Dry heaving hurt and he rubbed his chest. Twice now he'd been tempted to wish himself well, but there were no godparents left to take his requests. Poof was nowhere to be found and Timmy had discovered his godfather floating upside down in the fish bowl this morning. At first he'd thought it was a prank, until he discovered Vicky in much the same condition, minus the fish bowl.

Now he crept through Dimmsdale Elementary armed with nothing but his wits, so essentially, he was unarmed. He started at every noise and although the hallways were bright, they were also slick and sticky. In a classroom he'd found Crocker bludgeoned by his grade book, along with his fairy catching equipment. A butterfly net had created a noose, although Crocker appeared to have died before it'd been wrapped around his neck.

He didn't know where Wanda was and Poof didn't answer either. He made his way toward the gymnasium, if only because the loudest noise in the school emanated from it. It sounded like a wood chipper, punctuated by occasional screams. The sound sent chills down his back, but he walked forward anyway. Anyone with any sense would have run, but Timmy refused to run. Maybe he didn't have sense. Or maybe he hoped his godmother and god brother were in the gym.

He didn't know. He couldn't think straight, could barely breathe with the smell of rotting flesh in his nostrils, and he kept tearing up. He told himself his eyes were dry, not that he'd started crying over Cosmo's death. Sniffling, he wiped his eyes again. Cosmo…

At the gym doors, he hesitated. He poked his head through and then jumped back. His heart hammered and he licked his dry lips.

"Timmy!" Wanda called in a singsong voice that sounded slightly off. "Timmy, come in here!"

"Wanda?" he asked, although it was obvious who it was. His heart could have given a jack rabbit a run for its money. "Wanda, are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay!" she replied. "Come in here and see this!"

"I think I'm okay in the hallway," he croaked. "Wanda, what happened to Cosmo? And Vicky? And Crocker?'

"How many times have you wished they were gone?" she replied. "Poof! They're gone!"

"Poof!" he repeated. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," she answered. "He's enjoying life without an idiot running the show."

"What…what are you talking about?" he asked. His skin had gone cold and his stomach roiled. The back of his throat was dry and he kept licking his lips to bring moisture back. He rubbed at his eyes again.

"Nag, nag, nag. That's all Cosmo thought I ever did," she continued. "He said one day I'd nag him to death. So I did."

"You didn't," he gasped. "You couldn't!"

"Aren't you going to wish for something? Anything your heart desires?" she sang. "I wish Cosmo was back from the dead! Sorry, sweetie, I don't do necromancy. Anything else?"

"You killed Cosmo…and Vicky…and Crocker…" He had a difficult time getting the words past his constricted throat. "Not you. No."

"Not Wanda," she mocked. "Never Wanda. Never the sweet little fairy that took all your crap for years and never complained. Not the Wanda you verbally abused or that Cosmo physically abused. Oh, no."

"But you're good!" he protested. He still refused to enter the gym and face what awaited him. He swallowed again, but the lump in his throat wouldn't budge.

"Good fairies go bad," she chirped. "Come on. Are you scared?"

"No," he lied.

"I can smell your fear. Can't you, Poof?" she said. At the last, he broke free of his compulsion to stay away and looked into the gym. Trixie Tang rested in a pool of her own blood near the basketball nets. Her neck was at an odd angle and her limbs were splayed. Timmy couldn't be sure whether her broken neck had killed her or her blood loss beforehand. He felt sick again and dry heaved, collapsing to the floor.

When he'd finished, feeling weak enough to be unable to stand, he looked up. Poof was floating above him and dressed entirely in black.

"No…" he groaned. "Poof, you have to come with me."

Poof's eloquence extended to repeating his name endlessly and coming up with coherent speech. Timmy interpreted it to mean he wouldn't leave his mother, who was currently in human form and standing at half court. Her normally bright pink eyes had intensified, turning red and her yellow shirt had dark red stains. She was staring at Timmy with an odd intensity that made him shudder.

"He's not leaving me," she said and then smiled. "Neither are you, sport."

"This is a dream," he said, dazed. "It has to be. I wish I'd wake up!"

Wanda smiled, shaking her head. She walked slowly toward him, as if walking pained her. She stopped a few feet away and Poof floated to his mother. She stroked the purple curl upon his head and held him close. Timmy shuddered, recoiling and landing on his back.

"I spared you for a reason," she said with a smile.

His mind reeled. "Spared? What do you mean?"

The smile faded. "If you were smarter, you would have understood this sooner. But we can't all be geniuses, can we?"

"I wish…I wish…" Words failed him for a moment and he looked desperately at Poof. "Do something!"

"Sorry, not in the form of a sentence," she mocked. When she ran her fingers through her hair, she left blood streaks in the bun. A strange amulet hung from her neck and glittered under the lights. It was brown, with a swirling black energy inside. Timmy stared, hypnotized by the darkness within.

"I spared Poof because he's my son," she said and then snorted. "Cosmo's influences will go away with time. You…you are still young. There is time enough for you to grow into what I need."

Timmy shook his head. "I don't understand what you want. I don't know what's going on! I wish—"

"Wishes won't help anymore," she commented flatly. She knelt beside him and touched his forehead. Where her fingers brushed against his skin, he smelled sickly sweet iron and saw glitter. Her red eyes had hooked onto his blue eyes and he shivered. He was cold inside.

"I wish Jorgen was here!" he called, hoping that by using his name, Fairy World's ruler would appear. Wanda snorted, and despite the brutality of what she claimed to have done, her touch upon him was gentle. She straightened him into a standing position and held him against her. When he struggled, whining, her grip tightened until it would have meant breaking a bone to get free. He still considered it.

The dark aura surrounding her only manifested when he was close enough to touch her. Then its cloying weight dug into his chest and pressed him into the ground. For the briefest of seconds, Poof looked worried. Then the baby floated behind his mother and kept his gaze away from his god brother.

"Jorgen can't hear you," she murmured. "The link has been broken."

"What link?" he gasped. "Wanda, what's going on? Wanda, you're hurting me!"

"You should be glad I'm not killing you instead," she snapped. With her free hand, she stroked his hair beneath his hat.

Fear contracted his pupils, drained the blood from his face, and made him tremble. His heart raced and he whimpered again, hoping to elicit some sympathy. There was no trace of the loveable caring godmother in Wanda's current expression. Instead, she seemed to be created from steel. Her grip on his arm cut off circulation to his fingers.

Poof said something, too low for Timmy to hear, and she nodded curtly.

"We should be going," she said.

"Going?" Timmy echoed faintly. "Going where?"

"Where I tell you we're going," she scoffed. Digging into her pants, she produced a black stone with a swirling energy underneath the surface not unlike the amulet she wore. She squeezed it and they disappeared, reappearing in an underground cave. Timmy tried to break away, hoping that the transportation had distracted her.

He underestimated her grip on his arm. Moving too quickly to account for her strength, he heard a crack and pain jolted through his shoulder. His wrist bone stuck out oddly and he groaned, staring at his godmother who still hadn't released him.

"You don't need to have two working arms right now," she commented coldly. Timmy gasped, both in pain and shock, and Poof floated nearby.

"Poof," he panted, making eye contact with him. "You gotta help me. You gotta do something."

"Poof will do what I will," she snapped. "I say the pain will be a good lesson for you."

"What's wrong with you?" he exclaimed. "You're not Wanda!"

"I am what's left of her," she countered. "Now start walking or I will drag you along."

"What do you mean—"he started and she pressed down on the broken wrist. Timmy screamed, the pain intense enough for him to black out for a second. Poof whimpered and she scoffed.

"It's necessary," she repeated. "Trust me."

"I want my parents," he gasped, tears streaking his face.

"Your parents never cared about you. They wish they'd never had you," she remarked. "Cosmo and I were the ones who loved you."

"And you killed him!" he cried.

"He was a nuisance," she said, shrugging. When she shrugged, it wrenched his arm and he screamed. She glared at him.

"He was your husband!" he protested, pain transforming his voice into a higher pitch.

"Was he?" she inquired, starting down the path. They looked to be in a basement of some sort, with the only light coming from a distant point. Poof huddled close to his family and looked around nervously. Timmy wished he could make him feel better, but he was too busy being frightened and in pain thanks to whatever had possessed Wanda.

"Yes!" he screamed. "Slow down!"

"Walk faster," she countered and increased her pace. "If you have time to ask stupid questions, you have time to walk faster."

"I want—" he started and she stopped, pivoting on her heel. She backhanded him hard enough for his buckteeth to hit his lower lip and bring forth blood. Eyes watering again, he spat out the blood pooling in his mouth. She scrutinized him.

"I don't care what you want," she remarked. "You never cared what I wanted."

"That's not true," he whined.

"Don't lie," she hissed. "Every time you lie, I will hurt you. Do you understand?"

"No…" he said. She growled and yanked him along by the broken wrist. Swallowing back sobs, he permitted it and forced back the questions that threatened to overwhelm him. Wanda was scary, out of her mind, and lethal. She wasn't beyond hurting him to get her point across. What intelligence he possessed argued strongly against talking again. He shuddered, the pain causing his vision to flicker in certain areas.

There was a clear path through whatever someone had stored here. It looked like stacks of chairs and boxes, but he didn't have time to examine them closely. Wanda's hand upon his wrist was insistent and hard, preventing him from hesitating.

Their footsteps and water, dripping from somewhere he couldn't see, were the only sounds beyond his sobbing. He tried to catch his breath, but it was difficult between crying and being rushed along. At last, they stopped in a random spot. He looked up and saw a ladder against the wall to their left.

"He should be here," she snapped.

"Who?" Timmy asked and then bit his tongue. Blood filled his mouth again and he spat it out. Wanda eyed it and the hand upon his arm warmed. He gasped, trying to pull his hand away, and she slapped him again.

Poof stated something and Timmy shook his head. It didn't make sense.

"You're not trying to heal me, are you?" he asked.

His godmother turned cold, emotionless eyes upon him. The hand along his wrist was still warm, hot to the touch. She pulled her hand away and his arm was cold, almost frigid. His wrist was still misshapen.

"Not anymore, I'm not," she snapped.

Cradling his arm to his chest, he sobbed from pain. She examined him and a glimpse of her old warmth and compassion flickered in her eyes, but only for a second. She drew closer to him and he pulled away, shaking. This earned him another slap, though not as hard as the first.

"If I didn't love you, you'd be dead," she stated flatly.

"That's not very comforting," he snapped.

She pulled him closer again and he struggled away. This time, she wrapped her arms around him and he could feel the cold blood on her shirt against his. He whimpered and she locked her arms about his midsection. Reluctantly, he looked up at her. The sobs that wracked his body made her shake too.

"No one will hurt you except for me," she said.

He opened his mouth and she touched her wand in her pocket. His mouth shut and stayed frozen closed. One of her arms snaked around his midsection moved to hold his wrist again and this time, rather than immediate warmth, he felt a trickle, like a breeze brushing against his skin. He whimpered, afraid to look at her, terrified to be in her embrace, and scared of what was to come.

"He's late," she snapped.

"Mama," Poof said, pointing with his rattle. She turned her head, Timmy following her gaze, and a man appeared on the other side of the basement. Moving smoothly, like a shadow gliding, he oozed his way closer to them. When he stopped, he was only a few feet away. His eyes, hair, and clothing were black, so that he blended into their surroundings.

"The boy?" he asked. His voice grated Timmy's ears and he flinched into Wanda.

"The boy is _mine_," she growled.

"Both of them?" He sounded faintly amused. "I won't begrudge you your fairy son, but the human could be useful."

"The human is _mine_," she snapped. "We had an agreement."

The man eyed Timmy in a way that made him feel as though invisible hands crawled along his skin. He tried to whimper his godmother's name, but his lips were stuck together. Her hand upon his wrist tightened its grip and felt like an iron upon his skin. In his mind, he yelped. He shuddered and she stroked his sweaty hair.

"Agreements can be rewritten," the man replied. "How much do you want for him?'

"Timmy is not for sale," she snarled.

"Very well," the man said, sounding disappointed. "We shall find another human for our purposes. Perhaps Juandissimo can be persuaded to do away with his godchild."

"I wouldn't count on it," she snapped.

"Why are you so protective over him, anyway?" the man inquired, circling them. Wanda held him closely, her arms folded over his chest. Timmy could hear his heart thundering in his eyes. On the plus side, if one could even consider this situation to have a plus side, his wrist no longer hurt.

"He is my godson," she said. The words sounded almost like an automaton, rote memorization. Timmy shivered and she relaxed her grip on him. He still wouldn't be able to make a run for it, but her handling implied she was being gentler with him.

"That is Fairy World's concern, no longer yours," he replied.

"Timmy is my _son_," she snapped.

"A son you've taken to abusing?" he commented.

"He had started to ask questions," she said. "He's better off in my hands than he is under your…control."

The man scoffed, reaching to touch his hair. Wanda jerked Timmy back and hissed, bringing her wand out. With one arm, she held Timmy and the other brandished the wand. His mind whirled, trying to determine whether Wanda or this strange man represented the greater threat. While normally he would have sided with his godmother without thought, it was hard to contemplate that now.

"I gave you what you wanted," she snapped. "Now give me what I want."

"We could have such fun, you and I," the man sang at Timmy. Timmy cringed.

"If you even so much as think about it, we're through," she retorted.

"Very well," the man sighed, although the longing look he gave Timmy argued against him giving up for the long term. He produced an envelope out of thin air and handed it to her. With a meaningful look at her godson, she released him to open it. Timmy swallowed, looking down the length of the basement.

"If you run, I will catch you," the man said.

Wanda eyed him and Timmy stayed put. The man's gaze gave him the creeps.

Wishing he could speak, although aware that he'd probably have nothing worthwhile to contribute, he stared at the floor. Wanda opened the envelope behind him, inspected its contents, and stuffed it into her pocket. She nodded.

"We'll be in touch," she remarked coldly.

"If you ever change your mind about the boy…" he trailed off and she growled, sounding more like an angry dragon than a fairy.

"Over my dead body," she snapped.

"That can be arranged…" the man's voice trailed off and he disappeared as he had arrived. Timmy glanced at the ladder, Poof, and finally, reluctantly, at his godmother. Wanda smiled and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. He pulled away and she stopped.

"Your parents won't miss you," she said. "They won't even remember you exist."

Timmy worked to open his mouth to ask her about it, but it was still stuck shut.

"I'll fix that in a while," she said. "But not too soon."

* * *

><p>The problem, she reasoned, was that there was no greater good. Cosmo and Wanda had represented chaotic good, their master lawful good, and no one trumped them. At least, she could find no other fairies in Dimmsdale who might. Yet when the good had become irrevocably corrupted, there had to be someone, a champion of the light, to save the day. A half fairy, half human girl was not going to cut it.<p>

Still, she worried. She didn't like what was going on, any more than the pall of darkness that had descended upon the city. To keep herself occupied, she had hoarded all the magical books she could find and read them in the hopes of finding a solution. The problem was that the people in this world thought magic had to do with stupid things, nothing at all useful, and she wound up flinging the books across the room in a fit of disgust.

It almost felt like the city had absorbed the evil within it and now paid it back in kind. Vicky hadn't come home yet. The way things looked she probably wouldn't make it home. She was worried, but not for her sister. As cruel and heartless as it sounded, she would never be worried about her sister.

Tootie drew a deep, staggering breath and stared out the window. Timmy Turner had been missing for twenty four hours. His parents claimed they had no son. And all over the city, people were rioting. No one would listen to her when she protested things were going terribly wrong. She felt like Cassandra.

Rolling around on the bed, she grabbed another book. A vision of red eyes tinged with pink haunted her.

"Wanda…" she sighed.

The fairy appeared, Timmy at her side. Tootie yelped, diving at him. A magical barrier appeared, separating them. The fairy was in human form, for some odd reason, and her whole aura was tinged with black.

"You called me?" she inquired.

"Not intentionally," she said, backing up.

Wanda scrutinized her. "Fairy World doesn't care what becomes of you."

Tootie wasn't certain what to make of this. She gritted her teeth and mustered her courage, which was rather difficult considering what she faced. Drawing steady breaths, she stared at the fairy before her.

"What about you?" she squeaked and could have cursed. She meant to sound daring and brave. Instead, she sounded stupid.

Wanda didn't reply. Instead, she looked around the room. This gave Tootie the opportunity to look at Timmy, whose lips were stuck shut. He whimpered at her and she waved her fingers, magic flying from her fingertips. Timmy started, whining, and Wanda left off her examination of the books near the window.

"I didn't think you intended to let him know," she said.

"It just happened!" she protested.

Wanda's gaze was dark. "You might want to consider your options."

"I'm not turning evil!" she whined. At this, Timmy inched closer to her. It seemed, between a rock and a hard place, he'd considered her the better choice. She wished she could say she was pleased.

"They'll continue to ignore you until you no longer pose a threat," she replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"Come, Timmy," Wanda ordered.

Although it was muffled, it sounded like he'd replied, "I'm staying here!"

The fairy rolled her eyes, squeezed her wand, and her godson zoomed back to her side. Tootie grabbed his arm and Wanda smirked.

"If you follow him, you come with me too," she said.

"I won't let you hurt him!"

"I haven't hurt him," she replied and then paused, considering her words. "Not permanently. Not like the others."

"What others?" Tootie asked. Timmy wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I can offer you more than being ignored and having your powers backfire," she said.

"I don't—leave Timmy alone!" she whined.

"So be it," the fairy replied, her tone heavy, and squeezed her wand. Timmy's hand found hers and held it, though it was trembling.

"The light corrupts and everything mortal is fleeting," Wanda said as they fell into the darkness. Tootie squeezed Timmy's hand and he turned away, breathing hard through his nose.


	2. Descend

Author's Note: Here's what I have, for all two of you who asked for it. The next few chapters grow in length...and I haven't gotten around to writing the second chapter for Null Moon, so apologies.

Chapter Two: Descend

Timmy and Tootie had never stayed in such a grand hotel before. Everything gleamed and Timmy headed straight for the giant TV in the living room (the room was so big it had two separate rooms, plus a kitchen). He flicked on a cartoon channel and lost himself, forgetting the other two occupants. Tootie glanced at him and then at Wanda, frowning at a book she'd spread out on the coffee table. The sitting room, where the TV, coffee table, and futon were, also had a mini bar behind the TV. It probably cost more to stay here than her parents made in two months.

"Wanda?" Tootie inquired. The pink haired fairy squeezed the amulet in her palm and it flared. In the last few minutes, she'd changed her attire from the bright yellow shirt to pink and the pants flared near the ankles. The darkness within her aura burned the back of Tootie's throat.

"Tootie," Wanda said, inclining her head. She didn't look up, but Timmy had looked away from his cartoons. His lips were no longer fastened shut.

"What's going on? Why are we here?" she asked. Timmy shook his head frantically. The color had drained from his face and he rocked, raising himself and then sitting back down on the floor.

"I need something," the fairy replied. "Watch TV with Timmy."

"What happened?" Tootie asked, her throat tight. "Why is Timmy afraid of you?"

Wanda looked up from her book and her gaze arrested her. Pinpricks of fear stabbed her chest and she felt mildly nauseous. Projecting the feeble light aura she possessed, she faced her. Wanda's eyes narrowed.

"Why must you ask questions?" she said. "I brought you to him. Now silence."

"Your shirt was covered in blood," she pressed. Her voice shook. "Sparkling blood. Faerie blood."

Wanda jumped to her feet. Her gaze was hard, her body stiff and threatening, and Tootie backed up. In human form, she had two feet over her. Gulping, Tootie envisioned Vicky in her stead and looked at Timmy. Timmy had stood again, though he stayed rooted to the spot.

"Was there something you wanted to say?" she whispered. "Something you need to tell me?"

"Where's Cosmo?" she squeaked, her nerve failing.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone who isn't my godchild," she snapped. "You seem to think your familiarity entitles you to something."

Timmy looked from Wanda to Tootie. "Wait. You two know each other?"

"Idiot," Wanda snorted and raised her wand. She erected a bubble around the futon, coffee table, and herself. It shimmered, see-through, but when Tootie raised her hand to knock, created no sound. Wanda's eyes narrowed, she squeezed her wand again, and invisible hands pushed Tootie toward Timmy and the TV set.

"What is going on?" she repeated to Timmy. His gaze had gone back to the TV and a glaze worked over his features. Growling, she shook him and he waved her off.

"Your fairy godmother kidnapped me and I demand to know what's going on!" she cried.

Timmy stared at the TV with an intent look on his face. He was concentrating harder than she thought should be possible. She shook him again and he glared at her.

"Tell me what's going on!" she ordered.

In a toneless voice, he answered, "Wanda went on a rampage and killed Cosmo, Vicky, Trixie, and Crocker. Then she took this weird file from this demon guy and told me my parents wouldn't even remember me. Any more questions?"

Tootie's jaw dropped. "Why?"

"I don't know," he continued. "Can I watch TV now?"

"I guess…" she said, drifting away from him. Vicky's death should hit her harder than it had. She felt numb, stunned that the bright happy fairy she'd known before could have done this. Scuttling back to the futon, she sat outside Wanda's bubble. She looked at the fairy within; Wanda hadn't moved, aside from twitching the amulet in her left hand.

Timmy sat, mindless, in front of the TV. Wanda, blocking out the world, pored over her book. Casting about the room once more, Tootie rose from the futon and walked to the door. No one stopped her from walking out.

* * *

><p>After an hour of mindless TV, Timmy grew bored of that too. The bubble around his godmother had disappeared and she wore a displeased expression. When he looked at her, she glared back.<p>

"What is it?" he asked. Poof was nowhere to be seen and for a second, he had a horrible thought that she'd done him in too. Then he saw one of the pillows had assumed Poof's form. He breathed slightly easier.

"He may not be dead," she said.

"Who?" Timmy asked. Crocker had looked pretty dead to him. Cosmo hadn't been breathing when he'd found him upside down, bleeding from his side, in the fish tank. At the time, he'd been too horrified to give him the proper fish burial of a flushing.

"Cosmo," she said, sighing. At his father's name, Poof squirmed. Wanda glanced at him and squeezed her amulet again. She fell back against the futon, shut her eyes, and shuddered. "It seems it is almost impossible for a Bonded creature to kill the other."

"And that's a bad thing?" he asked.

"It is something I'll have to deal with later," she said in a tone indicating she wouldn't continue the subject no matter how hard he pressed. Timmy crept close to Poof and hugged him to his chest. Poof turned around, staring at him.

"Are you hungry, sport?" she asked. He gawked.

"What?"

"You're still calling me that. Even after…" he trailed off, hugging Poof tighter.

"You're still my godson," she said derisively. "I still care for you. Are you hungry?"

"Not really, no," he said. He wasn't sure he'd be hungry ever again. Wanda rose from the futon, closed the book, and brushed the hair back from his forehead. He flinched, afraid her next move might involve hitting him. He didn't like this new, unpredictable Wanda that could contemplate her husband's continued existence in unpleasant terms. He also didn't like thinking about what she'd done and how he was stuck with her.

"You need to eat," she said and, in that, she sounded like her old self. She walked to the mini bar, snorted, and waved her wand. His favorite food rested on plates along the island counter. Timmy walked forward, the smells enticing even though his stomach gurgled.

"You were fine yesterday," he said. He stared at the amulet she kept caressing. "Where did you get that?"

"Stop asking questions," she instructed. "Eat. Or I'll make you eat."

Swallowing, Timmy hopped onto a stool and set about eating. She squeezed her wand, his appetite returned, and he felt a traitor for wanting food after finding those bodies. Their image had dulled, its significance dimming, and he looked at her. Her gaze was downcast, her eyebrows pinched together, and Poof shifted back into his normal form.

"Mama?" he asked.

Wanda didn't respond. Her lips twitched.

"Mama?" Poof prodded his mother and she shifted her head up, and then down again.

"It's nothing," she said. Timmy stopped eating (the compulsion only required that he ate, not that he constantly ate). Wanda hadn't developed any new special lying skills in the last few days. The lie rang hollow and Timmy looked at Cosmo to call her out on it. Cosmo's absence hit him again and he wished he could go away, far away.

"Wanda?" Timmy asked and she glared. She rose from her seat and stood behind him. Digging her nails into his shoulders, she hissed.

"Eat," she ordered. Timmy whined and she dug the nails deep enough to tear through his shirt's fabric and leave scratches on his skin. The magic compulsion deepened, forcing him to return to his meal and keep himself occupied. Once he was no longer capable of speaking, she stepped back and rubbed her temples.

"This is not the timeline," she grumbled. "This should not affect me."

Poof inquired further and she ignored him. Shutting the door between rooms, she left her godson and child alone. Poof floated around the room and looked for something, picking up the book and examining it before dumping it back on the table. Timmy wasn't sure he could read. Meanwhile, Timmy finished his plate, drank something, and watched Poof.

"She's nicer to you than she is to me," he said once he was capable of stopping.

In his peculiar fashion, Poof replied, "Mama's unhappy."

"No shit," he answered and then looked around nervously, expecting her to jump on him for cursing. Pushing away from the counter, he stared at the closed door. The noise emanating faded, leaving him wondering whether he'd heard anything at all. He crept closer, putting his ear against the door. Underneath the air conditioner she'd turned on, he thought he heard sobs.

"Wanda?"

This wasn't the first time she'd left to be alone and he'd heard her crying, although this might be the first time where inquiring about her health could hurt him. He knocked on the door and she opened it. The faint redness underneath her eyes, like those of tears, disappeared instantly. Her lower lip trembled and beyond her, he saw a projection of a non-descript fairy. Poof whined, worried about his mother.

"A side effect," she said. "Nothing more. I'm fine, Timmy."

"You killed a whole bunch of people and you think you're fine?" he snapped. Wanda glared, slapping him in the back of the head.

"Cosmo isn't dead," she said. "But I can't find him either."

"Gee, I wonder why," he replied, sarcastic and rubbing his head now. "Why do you keep hitting me?"

"Why do you keep asking questions and making stupid remarks?" she shot back.

"Does Poof know what happened?" he asked.

Wanda glanced at her son and then back at him. "No."

"Don't you think he has a right to know?" he snapped. "How can he not know, when he keeps looking for him?"

Wanda shut her eyes and growled, more draconic than fairy. She grabbed him by the neck and shook him. Timmy gasped, struggling to draw breath, and she released him. Choking down air, he stared, watery eyed, at his godmother. Wanda's gaze was distant.

"He is under a spell not to remember," she replied.

"Why are you answering me now when you weren't before?" he rasped.

She squeezed the amulet. "The new magic causes me to have mood swings. Still, a little discipline might not be a bad idea. Haven knew you didn't listen to me before this."

Too many questions crowded their way into his mind. Before he had a chance to ask any of them, she shut the door in his face and locked it. He was left staring at it, with Poof hovering near his shoulder. Stunned, he backed away and glanced at the TV. For once in his life, he had no desire to watch it. He flopped onto the floor and tried to think of what he was going to do now. The sad fact was he had no idea.

* * *

><p>Raw and floating, he sensed the events around him in a fog. Words echoed, but he couldn't make sense of them. The last fleeting image before his eyes repeated, a backdrop to the ominous words. Wanda's gaze seared into him and he would have whimpered and flinched, but he had no emotions. The bright light burned through his remaining confusion and left him revealed, vulnerable as a child. Then again, he had always been vulnerable.<p>

"Had it been any other fairy couple, this wouldn't have been possible," a baritone stated. He couldn't see and he didn't have a body to turn his head to look.

"They chose poorly. Why they wanted a Bonded couple, when his death would have destroyed her, is beyond my comprehension."

A woman murmured assent and Cosmo strained to hear more. The white light was everywhere and it was soft and warm. It felt like a slept in bed, waiting for the sleeper to resume. It felt like Sunday mornings with Wanda, Timmy, and Poof where no one had to go anywhere in a hurry and they could play around for hours. It felt like everything good and pleasant in the world, with an extra iota of sympathy.

"This will unbalance her," the male warned.

The female seemed to be closer now. "She is already unbalanced. We need a weapon, Cal."

"This one wasn't a weapon when he was alive. What makes you think placing him in another body will help?" The male's voice wasn't derisive, merely correcting his associate. Cosmo thought he recognized the name Cal as belonging to a fairy he'd once known named Calente. No one had heard from Calente or his lover in hundreds of years.

"She's been fashioned into a weapon," Daniela snapped.

"She retains her original form," he corrected. "Cosmo's body was destroyed."

"His basic personality will survive conversion, but transplanting him into a new form should boost his IQ a few points," she responded. "We don't need another idiot running around trying to stop the Shadows."

"Assuming the conversion takes. The only reason he survived at all is because of his Bond with her."

"He's still alive because of that Bond, which still exists," she pressed. "It may be strained because of her corruption, but if it exists, then he can be transplanted. I know what I'm talking about, Cal."

"Yes, I suppose you do," he said in a tone indicating he disagreed but wasn't willing to push the issue. "Yet you haven't told me where this body is coming from. Where do you propose to put him?"

"The white dragon, of course."

"Daniela," he warned. "The last test subject we placed in the white dragon the body rejected. You know it will only accept a particular creature and we don't even know what that creature is."

"He won't die."

The male voice disagreed, though Cosmo couldn't make out the words. There was a low buzz around the couple, like telepathy, and he remembered Wanda. The memories remained, although he had no emotional attachment to them. Still, he didn't need to feel to know he missed Wanda. Without pain associated with it, it just felt like he was missing an arm or a leg. In truth, he was missing his entire body. He had no idea how that had happened.

He last remembered Wanda glaring and then jumping him in the fish bowl. Agony had radiated outward and he heard her crying. The crying had struck him as strange, along with the darkness surrounding her. He'd wanted to comfort her when everything had disappeared.

ldquo;Why don't we ask him then, if you're so keen?" Daniela spat.

"Only his Bonded can speak mind to mind."

"Then let's dig up Wanda. Sure, why the hell not?" Daniela snarled. "Oh, and after that, we'll call on the half breed their godchild knows and Big Daddy too!"

"You're not listening to me," he reprimanded. "You've jumped to the attack again, cherie."

"You refuse to try," she said. "How do you know he isn't listening right now and replying to us, but we can't hear it?"

"We don't know. However, the only fairy I know of who can converse with others mind to mind lives in another universe."

She huffed, rapping her knuckles against class. "He'd listen to you if you ordered him here. He respects you."

"No. We are not involving him." In a softer tone, he added, "Cosmo may be our best shot at fighting the Shadows right now and you want to sacrifice him to the white dragon."

"The dragon won't reject him!" she argued. Pleading, she added, "If I'm wrong, then I'll assume the risks and take his spot."

"No. The risk is far too great," he murmured. "I can't lose you."

"Me or Cosmo. Take your pick," she said harshly.

Cal sighed. "This will take time."

"You still won't let me do it. I know you. You're stalling because you're going to either hold me down or try to use your voodoo to stop me. I won't let you. Calente, enough is enough. I didn't drop out of Fairy World for you to act as a fairy shield."

"Prep the white dragon, if you're so certain. This won't work, Dani. And I won't sacrifice you to the Shadows."

"With any luck, you won't need to. Sleep tight, Cosmo. Tomorrow, we'll all be dead."

"_Not funny, Daniela!_"

"I thought it was hilarious."


	3. Blackest Heart

Author's Note: I'm much further behind in posting than I thought I was. Oops. I'm not going to spam you with updates…or I'll try not to. (I'm working on the next Null Moon chapter right now, by the way).

Chapter Three: Blackest Heart

Wanda's head pounded and she stared down the balcony at the random idiots passing by on their way home. Timmy's parents no longer remembered their son, fitting since they seldom recalled him even before he'd been erased from their minds. She doubted they'd miss him. She had been a better parent to Timmy than his parents had ever been. Yet Timmy seemed suspiciously ungrateful, an attitude she'd have to remedy. She squeezed the balcony railing and let anger warm her. Timmy had never appreciated what she had done for him, only what Cosmo could bring.

Poof floated near her and she ignored him. The spell she'd cast upon had prevented him from remembering what he'd witnessed, though she doubted its effects. So far, the Shadow had provided for her. Whether they would continue to do so depended largely on her contact and whether she completed her tasks in California. As a fairy, she had the unique ability to slip in and out unnoticed. Poof, who knew to shapeshift automatically, had been deemed an acceptable risk. When the Shadows decided he wasn't or the spell stopped working, she'd have to make other arrangements.

Killing Cosmo, they had told her, should have been simple and easy. She scoffed. Only Cosmo was simple. The emotions associated with his death had not been. By contrast, the others had cost her nothing. All of them had hurt her godson or herself in some fashion. She had needed to prove herself in order to gain the Shadows' allegiance and by doing this, she had removed impediments.

Timmy didn't see it this way. She looked through the open door to where Timmy was staring, mindless, at the ceiling. In the past, she would have had a kind word or comforting gesture for him. That part of her had walled off or perhaps disappeared. The amulet heated in response and she shook her head, going back to observing the night crowds.

In the past, she hadn't always felt particularly inclined toward humans. They had taken over the world and ruined it. Her supernatural brethren had fled their homelands in order to avoid the pollution, violence, and cruelty that humans bred. True, the Unseelie court had its peculiar amusements that made the humans tame. For the most part, those she had associated with had found themselves uneasy in an adult's presence. Only children could be redeemed.

The night grew cold and the wind whipped at her hair. Reaching up, she undid the bun and let her curls cascade down her back. Cosmo had liked to run his fingers through it. The thought made her look around suspiciously, as if her husband had followed her here. The Bond remained intact, albeit estranged. It had never been enough in the past for her to know he was alive without knowing where he was. Now, it posed a problem. Cosmo hadn't tried to communicate with her, but she knew he was out there waiting. Someone had rescued him before his soul had departed its body. Someone knew, even if only vaguely, her intentions.

She focused her gaze upon a particular couple milling near the bar across the street. The man paraded the woman around like his prize and when she failed to do his bidding, he slapped her. The woman recoiled, the man screamed at her, and into the bar she went like a meek lamb. This was the human race Jorgen wanted to help. She spat over the balcony railing.

California was at least warmer than other areas. Goosebumps rose on her arms from the wind and she rubbed them. In the past, Cosmo might have come to warm her. She was supposed to be separate from him, with her own magic and her mobility. Nevertheless, Cosmo was entwined in her thoughts. She looked at Poof, who smiled back. She glared, Poof whimpered, and she walked back into the hotel room.

Timmy straightened up and looked guilty. She snorted.

"What?" she asked. She didn't hear the toilet flushing endlessly and the room appeared to be normal.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" he asked.

"Like what?" she shot back.

"Like you're pissed off," he said and then looked away, afraid she'd wash his mouth out for the obscenity. Wanda rolled her eyes. In the past, she might have rectified that. In the past, she had shared him with his parents. Timmy was hers now and she saw no reason to correct that particular bad habit.

"We're in a grand hotel and all you can do is look at the ceiling," she scoffed. "Why don't you find an arcade?"

"Will you be here when I get back?"

Wanda frowned. "After what I've done, why would I leave you?'

"Um…is that a trick question?" he asked. He blinked and gave her puppy dog eyes. She grabbed him by the arm and squeezed tightly, enough to leave a bruise. Timmy yelped and pulled away.

"Stop hurting me!"

"Stop asking stupid questions," she snarled. "The arcade is downstairs in the basement. You'll find enough entertainment there for the next two hours and once you arrive, the machines will no longer require tokens. Go. Take Poof."

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Since when," she snapped, "do you care what I do?"

"You usually come with me, Poof, and Cosmo," Timmy said and then stepped back, alarmed at what he'd said. His blue eyes were wide and his lower lip trembled. The spell she'd cast on him during dinner had worn off, because she hadn't intended to permanently numb him. Manipulating him would win him to her side more quickly, but the more dark magic she used upon him the more susceptible he was to other people's influence. Already, she knew Shadow members wanted a fairy godchild more than they could bear.

"He's not dead," she said and then growled. "If you miss him so much, why don't you wish for him back? That won't work, but at least you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you're alone."

Timmy looked stunned. He glanced at Poof for guidance and the baby stared at Wanda. Wanda searched for any hints of Cosmo in his expression and sighed when she saw none. Cosmo would return, if Poof and Timmy wanted it strongly enough. She knew she'd have to face him again. Timmy's loyalty was too easily won by cheap parlor tricks.

"You're as bad as Vicky," he proclaimed, backing away.

"Correction, sport," she hissed. "I'm worse. I killed her, remember?"

The blood drained from his face and without a word, Timmy ran from the room. Wanda locked the door behind him. She looked at the magic book on the table. With Timmy gone, she'd be able to concentrate on destroying Cosmo's soul. In another realm, an entire family had powers capable of destroying the spirit, but she had no access to that from here.

The amulet burned on her chest and she raised her wand cautiously. Big Daddy materialized, in human form, and she lowered it again. The magic had dyed his irises the same as hers, pink with red tinges, and wore a black suit also covered in blood. The conversion to the Shadows probably had taken less on his part than hers. He'd already been halfway there.

"Daddy," she said in a neutral tone.

"Baby," he said and hugged her. She hugged him back and found her hands shook. Stuffing them into her pockets, she examined him at arm's length. The older faerie had bags under his eyes and lines on his face where none had existed before.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Checking up on you," he said. He looked away, into the posh hotel. "Your sister's not doing well."

Wanda hadn't always cared for her sister even before the conversion. Hearing that her popular, better-liked, considered more attractive twin was failing didn't engender sympathy. She straightened, folding her arms across her chest.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Although she didn't share the same sort of Bond with Blonda that she did with Cosmo, she was emotionally linked to her. Her death could potentially create another problem, along with Cosmo's current state. She controlled her breathing, reminding herself that no one knew of could transplant a displaced soul. Cosmo might be able to return, but it'd be in a powerless state.

"She tried to commit suicide."

"_What?_" The word came out harsher than she had intended. She hadn't intended to feel anything at all, much less outrage. "She's jeopardizing things as it is, with her liaison with Jorgen. How did this happen?"

"We think the Triad got to her first." Big Daddy's face was grave. "Their impact may have lessened the conversion or corrupted it."

"Where is she now?" she bit back a growl.

"Fairy World's hospital," he answered. "You can't go there."

"Why the hell not?" she snapped back.

"You're under investigation. Your name, along with Cosmo's, Poof's, and Timmy's, vanished from Fairy World's registry. No one can find you and the trackers on your wands have been deactivated. The minute you show up, Jorgen and his goons will swarm all over you."

"I need to see her."

"I'm working on getting her released, but she's on suicide watch," he said. "It's a big deal when a faerie tries to commit suicide. No one's done it in a thousand years."

"Not since they met Cosmo," she said and snorted. The Bond between them twanged, like something had hit a cord. She froze and looked around suspiciously. The faerie in question remained an abstract concept in her mind.

"He's still alive, isn't he?" Big Daddy asked.

"I couldn't kill his soul," she said. "Someone swooped in and rescued it."

"No faeries can touch dead souls."

"That live in Fairy World. There are quite a few who left Fairy World."

Big Daddy scowled. "I always thought that idiot should be sleeping with the fishes. After the way he treated you before my grandson, I thought you would have asked me yourself. He abused you."

The old arguments came to her mind and she had to swallow them back. "He won't be able to anymore."

"You'd better be careful," he warned. "If he's still alive, the Bond is still intact. He might be able to bring you back."

"He's never had that much power over me," she sneered.

"You eloped with him and lied to me for hundreds of years," he reminded her. "You broke off your engagement with Juandissimo for him. He has power over you. That Bond has to be destroyed."

"Without losing my sanity?" she inquired wryly.

"You killed three humans today," he replied. "You. How much of your sanity do you think is left?"

"Timmy," she said and squeezed her wand in her palm. "Timmy and Poof would be in the way."

"In the way of what?" Big Daddy asked and then his face clouded. "You kept that human brat? Why?"

"Timmy is my godchild," she said. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Wipe his memory," he snapped. "Next you'll tell me the three sacrificial victims had to do with him."

Wanda glanced away as she always had when she'd displeased her father. Lying to him face to face never worked quite as well as in her letters.

"You did," he growled. "You're letting him have power over you."

"I'm not going to leave him to join the Shadows," she said. "He wouldn't survive a day once they took over."

"He has power over you. Real, tangible power," Big Daddy snarled. "You used magic to destroy his enemies, linking you two together. I told you to let the kid go."

"You didn't see what they wanted to do with him," she countered.

"You still love him. You're still trying to protect him."

"So what if I am? I'm his mother," she snapped.

"His godmother!" Big Daddy snapped back. "Poof is your son, not this ungrateful brat!"

"I'm not leaving him," she snapped. "That's final."

"He's your second link to Cosmo," he continued, eyes narrowing. "This kid will destroy you."

"No more than Tootie will," she said, holding her head high although she trembled. "What will one half breed and one human godchild do?"

"Let me guess. You have a protective spell over both of them to keep anyone from finding them and hurting them? One made of blood magic? One that you wove from your victims' blood?"

She kept quiet and pressed her lips together.

"You were supposed to kill people you didn't know!" he snapped. "That way, there would be nothing linking you to the bodies, especially nothing emotional."

"You try thinking rationally after attacking your Bonded," she muttered.

The TV exploded and Wanda raised her wand to protect herself from the electronic shower that accompanied it.

"I don't care if Cosmo is a bodiless soul right now. I'll kill him with my bare hands," he swore.

"What about Blonda?" she asked.

"You stay out of this. You've caused enough trouble," he snapped. "The next victim can't be related. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy," she answered. Big Daddy stared at her and she felt small, diminished by his rage. He hugged her stiffly and departed in a shower of pink dust. Wanda rubbed her chest and glared at the magic book. The answers to her problems wouldn't lie within there, but she'd have to do her best to work around them. Nothing human linked her to Crocker, Vicky, and Trixie. The law would be the least of her problems.

The amulet had cooled on her chest. Even after her father had reprimanded her, she couldn't entirely reason what she had done wrong. Timmy's enemies were gone. Timmy was with her. He was safer with her and Poof than he would be elsewhere.

She settled back on the futon and grabbed the book. The Shadows wanted her to learn the material within by next week and then implement it. Studying had always been one of her strong suits—within the Fairy Academy, she'd excelled. If it hadn't been for Cosmo, she probably would have graduated with honors. Cosmo wouldn't be here to distract her now.

_((….Wanda…))_

Like he wasn't present to distract her now. She didn't hear him and he didn't exist.

* * *

><p>Calente scowled at the spell book before him and used his wand to flick it off the table. While he had his own magic, sometimes he used Fairy World's endless supply to amuse himself. Daniela did the same, although her magic tended to run toward the more ribald. It kept them entertained, at least until the serious work had to be done. Cal's head swam and he wished he could just keep jettisoning the book off the table until it cracked some internal code and did his work for him.<p>

"No luck?" Daniela asked. She sat at the table with a white strand of magic between her hands and tried braiding it. It waxed silver and white and the third strand, brilliant green, stood waiting. They were within a small house at a kitchen that had seen better days. The kitchen cupboards' doors dangled off their hinges and the floor had warped. This was a temporary holdover, necessary so no one could see they had Cosmo's soul. Bringing it to Fairy World would arouse too much attention.

"Not unless you consider wanting to murder the book's writers, no," he confessed. "Why must dragon scholars have such high opinions of themselves and low opinions of everyone else?"

"Probably because they can't get laid," Daniela said succinctly. "If this holds, we have a shot."

"One shot. If I can't transplant his soul into the dragon, or if the dragon still rejects it despite your spell, we're out of options."

"You're always so cheerful," she replied. She bounced in midair and her brown hair jumped against her back. He retrieved the book with his wand and moved her hair behind her ear. Turning her head, her yellowish brown eyes met his. A long time ago, she'd screwed up a transforming spell and her eyes had never changed fully back. He liked it, though. It made her unique.

"I try to look on the realistic side," he replied. He looked at the strands glistening along her palms. Cosmo's life force sparkled, pink dotting it. He winced.

"Wanda will be part of the dragon too if you're not careful."

"I can't help it. Cosmo and Wanda are too tightly knit to be separated, even by death."

"The dragon may not like sharing its body with a murderess," he cautioned.

"He'll have to deal with it. And you and I both know he'd have to share some part of himself with Wanda, since Cosmo remains Bonded to her."

Cal groaned, not in response to her, but to the situation. He buried his face in his hands.

He sat in silence for a moment and considered ditching the book. It contained everything he needed to know, so he really couldn't. Still, the desire to set it on fire was rather strong. He looked up to discover Daniela, frowning, applying Cosmo's strand. It twisted around the silver and white without her intervention.

"Cal…" she breathed. "He wants him."

The green strand sparkled pink briefly and then winked out.

"We have a shot."

He stared at the helix in disbelief. Daniela stared too, released it, and the strands disappeared into the air. Mouth agape, she smacked him on the shoulder and then whooped, hugging him tightly. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

"Get your ass in gear!" she cried. "We're on a roll!"

They felt it then, a brush against their senses. Telepathy usually echoed in their minds, untouchable unless it came from their Bond. Daniela turned around and looked at the ceiling to the room where Cosmo's spirit nestled within a tube.

_((…Wanda…))_

"If he doesn't kill himself first," Daniela snapped, slapping a palm to her forehead. "What is he thinking?"

"He misses her. It's completely understandable."

"It's completely suicidal is what it is," she snarled. "You're the one with the spirit powers. You shut him up."

"Since you put it so politely…" Cal replied, rolling his eyes. He disappeared to the abandoned bedroom, which had once upon a time been a nursery. Cosmo's test tube, its green magic swirling on the table, tumbled off at his approach. Cal caught it.

"_Sleep_," he commanded, his tone overlaid with magic. The magic slowed and stopped.

"Do try to behave," he ordered. "Until you're placed within the dragon, I can't rescue you from your wife. I realize that you're trying to save her, but you should leave that to us for the moment."

He blinked. "I'm talking to a test tube that can't hear me. Brilliant."

"I always thought you were!" Daniela teased, her disembodied voice coming from somewhere near the stairwell.

"I suppose things could be worse," he reasoned and stared at the test tube again. "Though not for you. I meant in general."

* * *

><p>Tootie had left the hotel behind an hour ago. With no clear destination in mind, she wandered back to her house. Her parents wouldn't be coming home from their vacation for another week. No one within the city offered to drive her home, as might have been the case a few weeks ago. Everyone pushed, shoved, and hit each other. Tootie avoided the whole lot by wishing herself invisible. While she still had a shadow, people suddenly ignored her.<p>

Then again, people had ignored her before this too. It wasn't like the magic had given her an advantage.

Once she got home, she'd plan for the future. She didn't know how she'd explain Vicky's death. She'd have to explain whom and what she was in order for it to be accurately explained and then, she'd have to hope her mother remembered Juandissimo. Tootie thought this too unlikely to succeed.

When she arrived home, though, she discovered another problem. Police swarmed her house. Tootie crept forward, still unnoticed, and listened to their chatter. They were looking for someone.

"No one's seen her in hours," one police officer confirmed to the other. "But we think she has motive."

"She's not strong enough," another complained.

"We'll see about that. Find the sister and we'll find the killer."

Tootie yelped. Two police officers turned to her and she wished herself invisible again. In her panic, she reached for something else too. The gas main near the house caught fire. The police officers did not look kindly. She ran.


	4. Arisen Anew

Author's Note: New Null Moon chapter means new Absence of Light chapter! Yay! Man, this is from January…I went a little crazy writing AoT for a while.

Chapter Four: Arisen Anew

The gas main explosion triggered another further down and Tootie conjured more fire. Backing up, away from the police, she bolted down the street. Police officers screamed, cars burst into flames, and her heart pounded. Wherever gas or combustible fluids existed, her magic sought and ignited it. Soon, the whole block was ablaze.

"Wanda…" she whimpered. "Wanda, help!"

She ducked behind a tree that went up in smoke as soon as she saw it. Heart racing, she darted behind the Turners' car. It exploded, shooting into the air with smoke and heat. She scurried away, the police officers struggling to pursue her thanks to the inferno.

Moaning, she turned to watch the flames shoot higher. Her house was engulfed and the fire had spread. The Turners' car slammed into Timmy's bedroom and the roof joined in on the fun. Blood drained from Tootie's face and she wished she knew how to turn off her magical flamethrower. Flames crackled and sizzled along her arms, singeing her hair.

The police had stopped chasing her to scream for help and call the fire department. A wall of flames separated her. The pavement cracked underneath her feet.

"Damn it, stop!" she screamed. The Turners' house burned merrily and the electric lines sparked. Clammy and nauseous, she retreated. The line of fire followed.

"I didn't mean for this to happen! I wanted them to leave me alone!" she screamed. The fire surged forward and hit the police cars. Men howled as the flames spread; it seemed the bullet proof vests were particularly combustible. Tears coursed down the soot on Tootie's cheeks.

"Wanda! Cosmo! Juandissimo! Anybody! Help me!"

Lower lip quivering, she tried to call it back. Standing so close to their cars and trying to regroup, the police officers had no chance. The gasoline ignited, along with the cars' owners, and she heard anguished screams. Tootie pulled on the magical link between her and the fire. She had to stop this. She'd started it.

"Tootie."

She spun, expecting to see someone. The fire obscured her view. Sniffling, wiping her face across her nose, she stubbornly worked on stopping her magic. It spread. Her knees wobbled. She'd run away from Wanda and Timmy only to make things worse. Wanda had been partially responsible for her. Why hadn't she come to help?

"My idiot grandchild, over here!"

Tootie whipped her head around and concentrated, trying to find the voice's origin. She had to scream to be heard. At last, she located a fairy with purple curly hair and black attire standing at the end of the block. Her wings fluttered and Tootie ran; every step she went caused the blacktop to melt.

"I should have realized this would happen," the fairy sighed and waved her wand. The fire stopped as if frozen. Tootie halted, gawking.

"I stopped time. The longer you stand and stare, the less time the spell has. You won't be able to return—you must move forward."

Unable to comprehend what was happening, she continued to gape. The fairy growled, poofing near her. Up close, Tootie determined she was about Wanda's age. Her crown had tarnished and sat atop her head. The wand she wielded looked like it had seen better days.

"The choice must be yours. You must decide whether you want to head off with me or..." the fairy scowled. "Continue to set your neighborhood on fire. The decision is yours. Tick, tock."

"I don't know who you are!" she protested. The flames on her hands had stilled, although she could feel the press of time fighting to resume.

"Your many times great grandmother. That's all you need to know. Wanda won't answer to you anymore. Cosmo exists in a nether region. Juandissimo...he was worthless before he fathered you and he's worthless now. I am all you have."

"Tell me your name!" she insisted.

"Names have power," she answered. "If you must know, my friends call me Maggie."

"Who are your friends?" she asked. Maggie sighed, rolling her eyes and offering her a hand. Tootie clasped it and coolness spread. The flame in her mind extinguished, leaving icy relief, and she slumped. Maggie waved her wand and they disappeared to an abandoned house.

The living room had sheets over the furniture and dust coated everything. Coughing, Tootie released Maggie's hand and spat out dust. When her eyes had stopped watering and she was able to see again, she saw Maggie met by a brown haired fairy wearing a leather skirt, red tank top, and high heeled boots.

"We're accumulating strays?" the fairy asked.

"She's my granddaughter," Maggie remarked coldly. "A few generations removed. The first to show promise in centuries."

With a touch of pride, she added, "She set her neighborhood on fire."

The fairy eyed Tootie warily. "So you thought, 'what the hell, I'll bring her here'?"

"She wanted Wanda."

They silenced, exchanged meaningful looks and vanished to converse. Left alone, Tootie vacated the living room and entered the kitchen, where a male fairy scowled at a textbook. A transparent bubble protected him and he didn't notice her approach.

"Calente's working," the second female fairy said. "My name is Daniela. You can call me 'Dani', if you want."

"Hi, Dani," she mumbled. "Why am I here?"

"Mostly because you tried to summon Wanda," Daniela said darkly. "You can't do that. You can't have any contact with her or Timmy."

"Why not?" she burst out. "Timmy needs me."

"Wanda has bound herself with blood magic to her godson," Maggie said. "After your last display, she may consider you a threat."

Daniela snorted. "I doubt it. If she thought she was a threat, she wouldn't have let her go. You know what they say about half breeds."

"No," Maggie said icily. "What do they say?"

Flushing, the brown haired fairy stared at Calente. She swooped down to sit near him, although she might have been a fly on the wall for the attention he gave her. Rubbing her temples, she looked up at Maggie and then over at Tootie.

"You might as well take a seat…Tootie, is it? Is that short for something?" Daniela asked. Maggie scowled and sat on Calente's other side. Tootie wished she could sit in midair beside them. All she'd inherited from her fairy father were powers she couldn't control.

"Charlotte, but no one's ever called me that," she replied.

"He probably will," Dani said, jerking her head in Cal's direction. "He's not a fan of nicknames."

Tootie glanced down at her sparking fingertips. Maggie waved her wand and oven mitts covered her hands. Another wave of her wand reduced her temperature, until she felt like she soaked in an ice cold bath. Shivering, teeth chattering, she sat on a stool opposite the group. She'd gone from being an inferno to feeling like she'd never be properly warm.

"It's necessary," Maggie stated when Tootie looked up with a hurt expression. "If you set another fire, Cosmo, in addition to our plans, will go up in smoke."

Confused, her mind refusing to accept any new information, she folded her arms across her chest. She was still crying, albeit silently, and shivered. Vicky's death, along with Wanda's corruption, Timmy taken away, and then setting the block on fire had sent her for a loop. Her head hurt, she was scared, and she didn't usually join the company of fairies. Groaning, she rested her head on the counter. In response, Cal pulled the book away, though he still didn't look at her.

"I know it's a lot to deal with," Daniela said gently. Her voice was higher pitched than Maggie's and more youthful. "That's why you're here."

"That and because the last half fairy with your kind of powers started the Great London Fire of 1666," Maggie grumbled.

"That's neither here nor there," Daniela added. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression earlier. Cal and I haven't been getting much sleep lately and we haven't been successful trying to subvert our enemy."

"Who?" Tootie asked, lifting her head.

"Why don't you have some chocolate and relax?" Daniela asked. "We'll tell you when you're ready, but not right now."

"Why not right now?" Tootie asked, stubbornly.

"You've had a terrible shock. You need to recover. Trust me—information overload is not what you need." She smiled to take the sting out of her words.

Tootie opened her mouth to argue and then shook her head. Daniela guided her to a chair, uncovered and new-looking with leather upholstery. Sinking into it, she accepted the chocolate bar the fairy offered her along with a soda. Daniela hovered nearby and used her wand to file her nails. Maggie floated by a few minutes later with a scowl.

"How long has it been since you've had to comfort a child?" Daniela asked in a conversational tone.

"Several hundred years," Maggie said and shrugged. "The child is comforted, is she not?"

Daniela rolled her eyes. "The maternal instincts of a truck driver."

She stroked Tootie's hair and Tootie fought tears again. It was hard to eat the candy bar with oven mitts; after a stern warning about not setting anything on fire, Daniela removed them. Curling into a ball, Tootie ate her chocolate and drank her soda. She couldn't stop crying. It wasn't as though she'd loved Vicky—at best, she'd tolerated her. It was everything else, the world moving on, and the loss of the one creature who she thought she could have depended on.

"When you're ready, we need to talk about Wanda and what's going to come next." Daniela's voice was calm and soothing.

Tootie looked at Maggie. "Aren't you a godmother too?"

"I gave that up," she scoffed. "Jorgen banned half breeds after I fell in love with a human child. I haven't been a godmother for seven hundred years."

"An interesting topic, but not one we're going to discuss," Daniela commented. "Why don't you sit here and let us talk? You're safe here. No one's going to come after you. Nothing's going to happen."

"You're not a godmother either, are you?" she asked.

"No, I'm not," Daniela said. "Cal and I left Fairy World after a political disagreement."

"Do you miss it?" She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. Daniela massaged her back.

In response to her question, she shrugged, patted her on the head and offered her tissues. Tootie blew her nose, looked for a garbage can, and Daniela whisked the used tissue out of existence. The soda can and candy bar wrapper likewise vanished.

"Is she ready yet?" Maggie grumbled.

"For someone who's waited several hundred years to talk to her descendants, you're certainly impatient," Daniela commented.

"Are you ready?" she asked Tootie.

Gulping, she nodded.

"I'm going to have to defer to Magdalene," Daniela said and scowled. Her yellow-brown eyes flashed.

"I thought you said your friends called you 'Maggie'," Tootie asked, confused.

"I never said Daniela was a friend."

Daniela muttered something Tootie didn't catch, although Maggie did. Maggie glared, Daniela affected an innocent look, and the other fairy resumed filing her nails. She waved her wand and conjured an image of Poof. Maggie's gaze turned sharply and Tootie held her breath.

"I didn't think she'd hurt him," Daniela said. "That poor child will have a terrible choice soon."

"What are you talking about?" Tootie asked. "Why do you keep leading me on and then not telling me anything?"

"I'm used to talking to Cal," Daniela said with a little laugh. "He's usually several steps ahead of me, so I tend to think everyone else is on the same page."

Daniela waved her wand again and the image evaporated. Rubbing her temples, she looked upward. "I need to see how Cal's doing. He's in one of his 'I'm a serious fairy and you should see my serious face' moods. I'll see if I can't jostle him out."

Smirking, she teleported. This left Tootie and Magdalene, who had a cool expression.

"The girl who started the London Fire was related to you, you know."

"Great," Tootie muttered. "I've always wanted to be related to an arsonist."

"She perished in the blaze. She was the last promising grandchild of mine…I suppose Juandissimo is good for something."

"Why didn't he come when I called?" she asked, fidgeting.

"I'd say it's due to his extreme narcissism, but it's more likely that the Shadows have shown an interest in him."

"Who are the Shadows?"

"We don't know for certain. We only know what they do."

With her eyes closed, this chair was very comfortable. It leaned back and she thought she might be able to sleep. While she wasn't tired enough to sleep, she felt lazy enough not to move. Maggie huffed.

"I thought someone with your magic might be more ambitious."

"Wanda told me not to use it. She said there would come a time when I'd know what to do, but for now, I should keep it hidden."

"You care for her, don't you?"

"Yeah…" Tootie pretended the chair was her bed, although, given the way the blaze had spread, it looked like her bed was long gone.

"It'll be a few days. If Cal doesn't get this right, Cosmo's soul will disintegrate," Daniela announced.

"In which case, Wanda will be unstoppable."

"Or self-destruct. Our spies tell us Blonda's fallen ill. Between the two, we have a very unstable fairy."

"They'll work to neutralize that. They wouldn't have taken her on if they didn't have everything accounted for."

Tootie let their words wash over her. For once, she didn't feel compelled to interrupt or ask questions. Instead, she drifted, listening.

"Somehow, I doubt they know Cosmo's not dead."

"Somehow, I doubt they don't," Daniela said. She sounded disgusted. "They're smarter than you give them credit for, Magdalene."

Tootie didn't want to know. She wanted to curl into a ball and let someone else sort it out. As long as she didn't have to think about what was happening and what it meant for her, she'd be perfectly fine.

* * *

><p>Sometime during the night, after Timmy had time to regret the vast amounts of soda he'd drunk earlier, he realized Wanda was missing. Poof slept on, floating above the bed in his fairy form. Timmy crept through the hotel room and looked everywhere. He caught himself looking for Cosmo too and ignored the way his heart pounded.<p>

He flicked on the light and Poof whined, turned over, and went back to sleep. Scanning the room, he searched for Wanda in any form. She never left them alone at night. Then again, who was to say that her patterns would remain the same? Timmy thought he knew some measure of consistency. Apparently not.

He stared at the TV for a few seconds before turning it on. Infomercial, followed by some old sitcom no one cared about, and then followed by a religious channel. Timmy groaned, flinging the remote across the room.

"You should be in bed, sport."

Whirling around so fast he dizzied himself, he caught Wanda's gaze. She wore black robes and her crown had slipped, floating only an inch above her unrestrained hair. On her wrist, she wore a bracelet made of onyx colored stones. The stones flashed in time with the amulet. Timmy looked away, uneasy and uncertain why.

"So should you," he countered. "Where the heck were you?"

"At a meeting," she said and cast aside the robe. Underneath it, she wore her usual attire. Grimacing, she changed back to her fairy form.

"How long are we staying here?"

"Until we can leave," she replied. "You need to go back to sleep."

"Why? It's not like I have school tomorrow. I can sleep as long as I want, can't I?" He was almost daring her to correct him. A glimmer of a smile tugged at her lips.

"You can, but I know your little boy metabolism won't let you stay up too much longer."

"I'm twelve. I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm turning thirteen in a few weeks."

Wanda glanced at Poof and settled upon the other bed. "I'm going to bed, sport. If you miss breakfast because you overslept, you can't wish for it."

"Why not?"

"I'm not on Jorgen's list," she said and smirked. "He can't find us. So no more wishes and no more Christmas every day."

"Then…" He was at a loss. "How are you still my godmother?"

"You're not on there either. And that's how it's going to stay."

"You didn't answer my question," he huffed.

"Go to sleep." She waved her wand and his eyelids grew heavy. Trudging back to his bed, he curled up into a ball. This was the second time today she'd used magic to get him to do what she wanted and he should have been outraged, but he was too tired. He closed his eyes and Wanda kissed him on the forehead. Without thinking, he reached for her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too…Wanda…Cosmo…and Poof…" he murmured.

Wanda exhaled sharply. "Cosmo."

He glided along into sleep, as Tootie had hours earlier, and thought of nothing but the Crimson Chin.

* * *

><p>Jorgen Von Strangle had seen better years. For one thing, he hadn't lost track of three fairies, including a child, for longer than a few minutes in the last few centuries. For another, while he pretended impartiality, he considered Cosmo and Wanda friends. The terrible news shocked and worried him. Wanda in particular had deplored violence. He needed to know how the Shadows had turned her—and where Cosmo was.<p>

The Shadows had erased the family from Fairy World's registry, but Cosmo hadn't appeared in the obituaries. He'd wanted to check the Turners' house, but a freak fire had destroyed most of the neighborhood. The few eye witnesses he could scare into testifying informed him they'd seen a girl with black hair setting the fire. Fairy World's general policy was to ignore a half breed until it posed a threat and then lock it up. After he located Cosmo, Wanda, Poof, and Timmy, he'd have to apprehend Tootie.

With the Turners' house in ruins, he had followed clues elsewhere in Dimmsdale and discovered the three ritualistic deaths. The deaths led to, quite literally, dead ends. Without being able to track their magic, he had no way of locating them. No one had seen a child with a silly pink hat, assuming Wanda had kept Timmy at her side. He had no way of knowing.

Frustrated, Jorgen roamed the streets as a human teenager. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he throttled his temper by regulating his breathing. Losing Cosmo and Wanda to the Shadows felt personal. Perhaps it was.

Someone would stand to gain if people associated with him fell. Cosmo was distantly related to him. Someone might have noticed how much time he spent with Cosmo and Wanda compared to the other godparents. Someone also might be able to spin this to their advantage. After all, he'd broken an ancient law for Poof to come into existence—he clearly showed preference.

In order to recall everyone he'd wronged, he'd need a very long list. He first thought of Magdalene, exiled for falling in love with her godchild. She wasn't the first, however, and she wouldn't be the last. He looked toward the sky. Earth provided no concrete answers. He'd have to return to Fairy World.

Once there, he went to the archives. Fairies moved automatically, knowing his current temper and the global alert system. Whenever a fairy went missing, the fairy military was activated. People scurried to their posts, although most of them seemed to scurry away from Jorgen as though that was a duty. Jorgen rolled his eyes and blasted holes in the wall. Whether a fairy was foolish enough to be behind that wall was not his problem.

Big Daddy and Juandissimo appeared on the missing fairy list. Blonda was in critical condition after a suicide attempt she claimed she hadn't tried for publicity, though Jorgen was in no mood to investigate that. Blonda irritated him and he'd look into her case later when he could look at someone he hated without wanting to kill them. Right now, that calm felt far off.

Someone had inscribed a note about an anti-fairy jumping universes, but he ignored it. Whomever that individual might be happened to be the least of his problems. He pulled out old court cases and poured through them. As the ultimate magistrate in Fairy World, he'd pissed off a lot of fairies and quite a few of them probably held grudges. None of them were powerful enough to act upon them, unless they'd aligned with someone else.

It was up to Jorgen to decide which potential criminals had viable connections to the underworld. It was also up to Jorgen to ensure that Fairy World's first fairy baby in millennia lived to adulthood.

* * *

><p>"Wandita," Juandissimo purred from a table near hers during the continental breakfast. The lobby had provided a breakfast better than most motels, but it was not up to her personal standards. Timmy was reading a comic book at the table; she normally discouraged this, but she wanted to be left alone to think. She'd had nightmares and wished her subconscious was as guilt free as her conscious mind.<p>

"What are you doing here?" she snapped. Timmy looked up. Remy Buxaplenty, seated across from his godfather, scowled. The boy was paler than usual and his blonde hair was stringy. He reached for his godfather's hand across the table and Juandissimo moved away. Her eyes narrowed.

"I have come to find you," he said. "Your work is muy sexy, yes?"

Remy vacated his chair and sat, much to her godson's displeasure, beside him. Timmy moved his chair away.

"What the hell, dude?" Timmy grumbled.

"I have something I must talk to you about," he replied.

Timmy eyed Wanda and then Remy. She inclined her head and waved Timmy away. Glancing at his plate, he shoved it away and reluctantly walked off with Remy leading. Timmy, she noticed, carried a green pen clutched in his right hand. She rolled her eyes.

"How do you know what I'm doing?" she asked. Juandissimo had a cup of orange juice and pancakes.

"Your father."

"How many people know?"

"Anyone he thought might prove a liability has been enlisted," he said and pulled out a black amulet from underneath his shirt.

"Then you know what I did to Cosmo," she growled.

Juandissimo stared. She felt a tentative mind probe and cringed, retreating. "You shouldn't be able to do that."

"Dragon blood," he said, tapping the amulet. "Its effects are only temporary."

"Right," she said. "What do you want?"

"Since you are currently unattached, I believe a partnership would be beneficial," he said and raised his eyebrows suggestively. Wanda threw his orange juice in his face.

"No."

"You wound me," he whined and waved his wand, causing the orange juice to disappear. She hissed.

"Don't do that in front of humans," she scolded.

"We are not under Jorgen's thumb anymore," he replied.

"He's still looking for us," she corrected. "Do you want to draw his attention?"

"Why do you not want to join me?" he asked. "Am I not sexy enough?"

He pouted, flexing his muscles. His shirt ripped, repaired itself, ripped again, and then repaired itself. Wanda squeezed her wand underneath the table and the other humans looked away, distracted. Her heart hammered, the old fear of discovery unavoidable. Juandissimo's plate, she realized, had a green cast to it. She wanted to smash it in his face.

"You're only here because he's gone," she snapped. "You'll be in the way."

She glanced in Timmy's direction. Her godchild hopped from foot to foot and tried to shuffle away. Desperate, the blonde haired boy grabbed his sleeve and held him put. Timmy looked around wildly and met her gaze. She rose from her seat and prepared to rescue him.

Juandissimo grabbed her hand.

"Perhaps you need me between yourself and Cosmo."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she remarked stiffly. "Cosmo's not here. He can't possibly be in the way."

"You wouldn't be functioning if he were dead."

"He's as good as dead," she countered, snarling.

"Then why did you flinch at my plate?" he said. "Why are you avoiding everything green in the room? You went out of your way to pick up a red cup out of the green cups surrounding it."

"Personal preference," she huffed. "I don't like green."

Juandissimo twirled his plate and she shoved it in his face. Spinning on her heel, she wrenched her hand out of his grip and stormed over to Timmy. One look at her face and Remy bolted, darting back to his godfather. Timmy gulped, stuffing the green pen in his pocket along with the comic book. Poof, a pin on his shirt, whined.

"Throw out that pen," she ordered.

"Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Throw it out!" she commanded and, grumbling, he tossed it into a nearby wastebasket. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked at her sullenly. She grabbed him by the arm and this time, made sure her grip wasn't too tight. When he'd dressed this morning, she'd seen the bruises. Bruises were suspicious.

"What did Juandissimo want, anyway?" he asked. They walked across the room and Juandissimo stepped in front of her.

"I'm not a damsel in distress," she snarled. "Get out of the way."

"I have been ordered to keep an eye on you."

"What? She's not evil enough now?" Timmy grumbled.

"You've bound him to you," Juandissimo noted. "I can see the magical tie."

"You and Big Daddy," she huffed. "He's my godson."

"Not your biological son," he pressed. "He is expendable."

Timmy paled and whispered, "Oh…"

"What is it, sport?" she asked.

"Shit, no wonder Remy was freaking out," Timmy said and stared at Juandissimo. He ducked behind his godmother and stuck his head out. "He can't be serious."

"As far as I'm concerned, he is my son," she snapped. "We're a family. You can tell the Shadows that I haven't done anything wrong and I await further instruction."

Juandissimo reached for Timmy and the magical barrier around Timmy thrust Juandissimo backward, into a chair. Startled, Timmy's mouth dropped.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You're making a mistake, Wandita," Juandissimo cautioned. "He is only human."

"I know what I'm doing," she hissed. "If you're done, Timmy and I need to pack."

Juandissimo seized her hand and squeezed. His purple eyes gazed into hers and she looked away briefly. Although Juandissimo had always been vain, he'd never possessed a powerful dark aura. This was possessive, draconic. She bit the inside of her lip.

"You will be mine. I did not bargain away Remy to lose you again," he swore.

"I was the price?" she asked. Juandissimo smiled coldly, bowing over her hand. He nodded toward a terrified Remy, who hurried to his side. The two departed the lobby with Timmy gawking. Wanda was shaken.

"The man asked you whether you would give me away," Timmy said. He was pale. "And you kept telling him no. And then Juandissimo said you bound yourself to me."

"Magical semantics," she said and then, seeing he didn't understand, she added, "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Why do they want me so badly?" he huffed.

She hugged him tightly, so tightly she knew it probably hurt. Timmy whined and struggled and she stroked his hair. At last, when he'd lost some blood circulation, she held him at arms' length.

"What'd you do that for?"

"When I thought I couldn't have children, you brought Poof into the world. None of my other godchildren did. You brought me Poof. As far as I'm concerned, you are my son as much as him."

Timmy looked away again, flushed. "Can you let go now?"

She scoffed, dropping her arms and walking away without bothering to check whether he was following. Timmy hastened to catch up with her longer strides.

"Thanks, I think."

"That's the first time you've bothered to thank me," she snapped, taking the steps two at a time.

"You said we have to pack. Why?"

Wanda stopped, causing him to walk into her. She pointed to a placard on the wall and Timmy squinted, having problems reading the cursive. Folding her arms across her chest, she waited. Timmy looked away.

"We're staying in a hotel Remy's _parents_ own?" he queried.

"It wasn't intentional," she said. "This was where the Shadows told me to go. However, this will also be among the places Jorgen looks if he realizes Juandissimo has turned."

"Who are the Shadows?" he asked. Wanda shook her head and, looking to check that no one was around, squeezed her wand. They reappeared in the hotel room.

The TV was on, showing the local news. Wanda scowled, uninterested, until a story caught her eye. Timmy was about to shut it off and she stayed his hand. Pictures of a burned out neighborhood, along with destroyed cars, filled the screen. Timmy cried out and she ignored him.

"Eyewitnesses claim this was the work of a teenage girl with superpowers," the anchorman claimed, snorting. "They say she ignited the gas main after the police confronted her and then everything else went up in smoke. The explosion started here, at the house where one of the three victims lived."

"Tootie?" Timmy exclaimed.

Wanda was trying to remember why she had claimed responsibility for Tootie in the past. She contrasted this with her actions last night and rubbed her temples. Had she still been a godmother, Jorgen would have had her head. The anchorman's words washed over her, along with the death tally. This was bad. She'd let a powerful half breed, one with links to Timmy and herself, slip through her fingers.

"Wanda!" Timmy snapped, grabbing her attention. She glared.

"What?" she asked sourly.

"Since when can Tootie do _anything_?" he said. She slapped him across the face. Poof whined in sympathy and she disregarded him.

"Tootie's capable of far more than you think she is." Silently, she added, _more than I thought too._

"She's just a kid," he said, rubbing his sore cheek. "A kid with a crush."

"She's a fairy with a human mother."

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "You said only fairy guys can carry the babies and the first fairy baby born after Cosmo's ban was Poof."

"The first entirely fairy child," she corrected. "Tootie is only half fairy."

"Bullshit," he exclaimed. "There's no way she has powers. Why didn't she just blow Vicky up? Or make herself pretty? Or force me to like her?"

Wanda could feel a headache coming on. "It doesn't work like that."

"Then how does it work?" he asked. "How come she has powers and I don't?"

She grabbed him by the shoulder and squeezed tightly enough to bruise. Underneath his clothes, she could bruise him without other people noticing. Timmy cried, trying to get away, and she clenched his arm. Wide eyed and panicked, he looked up at her.

"She has her father's powers and her mother's temperament. Why didn't you stop her from leaving last night?"

"This isn't my fault!" he protested. "Wanda, you're hurting me!"

"I know I am."

"So stop!" he cried. "What the hell is wrong with you? You have me under some weird spell to keep someone from hurting me and you're the one who's doing it!"

The amulet's power flared and Big Daddy's warning, along with Timmy's words, jarred in her mind. She loosened her grip and worked on calming herself down. Timmy pulled away, whimpering.

"Poof won't stay with you if you keep hurting me," he warned.

"He's loyal to me," she said. Poof hadn't moved to protect his brother, although he stared at her with wide eyes. She wasn't sure he knew what to make of this.

"Until Cosmo comes back," he replied stubbornly. She raised her hand to strike him and he flinched, holding up his arms to protect himself. Turning away from him, she glanced at the TV and shut it off. Tootie was gone. Fairy World might be able to track her, but she doubted it. They hadn't put in the effort into noticing her before.

"Cosmo won't return."

"He'll come back for me and Poof," Timmy said. "You'll see."

Shutting her eyes, she concentrated on not hitting him. Before, she'd possessed infinite patience. Now everything Timmy said or did sent her over. In a choice between herself and Cosmo, a bodiless spirit was winning. Timmy had always preferred Cosmo. She wished it would stop bothering her.

"If I promise to stop hurting you," she said in a shaky voice, "would you promise to stop asking questions that I can't answer?"

"I don't know," he said. When she glared, he elaborated. "I…I'm not sure you can control yourself. At least…that's kind of what it seems like."

He said it like he was afraid she'd attack him.

"As hard as this may be to believe," she said, glancing at the TV and thinking of Tootie, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Every time you hit me, whatever's in your necklace swirls around," he said, pointing. Wanda glanced down.

Her knowledge of black magic wouldn't come to the forefront. She had to take his word for it.

"I'll restrain myself if you stop asking so many questions," she said, wondering whether either was possible.

"Okay," he said and, hesitant, he reached for her hand. She let him take it and shake on it, although her mind had drifted elsewhere again. When he pulled away, she let him and looked around to ensure they had everything they needed. Since they'd come here with very little, it'd be fast packing.

A few minutes passed and Timmy spoke again.

"They said my house burned down. Are my parents okay?"

In response, she held up her wand. Complaining about the price of coffee and donuts, Timmy's parents sat at a local bakery next to the Dinklebergs. Timmy exhaled shakily and she smiled weakly.

"Where's Tootie?" he asked and then eyed her warily, as if afraid he'd crossed his questions threshold. Nothing appeared when she waved her wand. Muttering a few choice words also produced nothing.

"I can't find her."

She couldn't find Cosmo either. Intuition and common sense told her they were probably in the same place.

"How many questions are too many?" he asked.

"You said the magic in my amulet swirls when I hit you," she said, not answering him. "You've seen this?"

"Yeah," he replied. "It starts bouncing around like it's excited."

Wanda's hand flew to her necklace. She tugged on it, to loosen the string, but it stuck. Startled, she reached behind her neck to unclasp it. The clasp had disappeared. The necklace had molded to her neck and shortened, preventing her from lifting it off. Alarmed, she yanked on it again and it settled into a choker.

Timmy stared. Again, Wanda yanked on it and this time, she gasped. Black spots floated before her eyes.

"Where did you get that necklace?" he asked.

"I don't remember," she said with a frown. "Does it matter?"

His gaze rooted to the necklace. "I wish you'd take it off."

"It won't let me…" For emphasis, she held up her wand. It fizzled and went limp in her hand. Timmy crept forward and tugged on the choker. She pushed him away and cradled it. Poof whined, a prelude to crying.

"It's fine, sport," she said. He didn't look convinced. "We need to go."

"That necklace needs to go," he muttered.

Shooting him a sharp look, she raised her wand to pack. This, at least, worked smoothly. She brushed her hand along the necklace and it felt warm, like a coal left in the flames.

* * *

><p>Juandissimo found their liaison under the stairwell. Wearing a pressed suit and tie, the man might have passed for normal if not for the pointed ears and cruel smile. His brown hair and buckteeth reminded him of someone, though the cold look in his blue eyes spoke otherwise. The man appeared to be about thirty and muscular, with his arms and legs stretching the fabric of the suit.<p>

"You've kept me waiting long enough," the man snapped. "I trust it was worth it."

"I did as you asked," Juandissimo said, bowing his head. "You are sure this will work?"

"She won't give up Timmy. She'd sooner die than let her godson come to harm. I know that better than anyone," he scoffed.

"Then what should I do?"

"You'll have to appeal to her emotions and show her that you two must function together or something drastic might happen. Her family means everything."

"I have tried for centuries—"

"You've tried the wrong things for centuries." The man's tone sliced him. "She hasn't cast Cosmo aside and she won't leave Timmy and Poof. You must show her you can protect them as well as her. You aren't doing that by letting her know you're abandoning Remy."

"You were the one who requested him. You promised this would work." Juandissimo glared. Remy had wandered off, probably to the arcade. Since he'd announced his intentions, Remy found excuses to stay away. When he wasn't doing that, he fixed him puppy dog eyes.

"I wanted Timmy. I will settle for Remy," the man said. "This will work if you have the patience to see it through."

The man smirked. "You've been waiting for thousands of years. I should say you're a patient man."

"How do you know so much about her?"

"Let's say I have experience dealing with her and Cosmo," the man said and scowled.

"I will require a name if you are to help me further," Juandissimo said. The man watched the amulet on his neck flicker purple and he sighed, reaching for the energy. It flowed out of the amulet and into him. His body glowed dark blue.

"Lorenzo DeMedici," he replied, performing a mock bow. "We will be in touch."

"Yes, we will."


	5. Eternity Served Cold

A/N**:** I'm sorry for not updating in over a month. Depression is taking its toll on me and I'm having problems getting motivation. Maybe I need to set up a schedule and post by a specific date—say every couple weeks on a Tuesday? That might not be a bad idea…

Chapter Five: Eternity Served Cold

They ate lunch at a particular chintzy place Timmy had suggested—Wanda had only accepted the suggestion as a way of making peace. Her hand crept toward her choker and stroked the amulet. Though she couldn't recall where she'd gotten the piece, she knew for a fact it had rested between her breasts before this. Now it tugged at her neck. The clasp at the back of her neck had disappeared and the harder she tugged on the choker, the tighter its grip on her neck. She picked at her food.

"Wanda?" Timmy asked. Wanda stared straight through him. The plastic chairs and tables dimmed in her mind and the castle superimposed itself in her mind. Timmy had grabbed a green straw and green napkins the same shade as Cosmo. She'd caught herself earlier looking for a face.

"Wanda? Hello, earth to Wanda!" Timmy said, waving a hand in front of her face. "You've been staring into space for five minutes."

"Sorry, sport," she said, wrenching herself away. "What was it?"

"I know I don't care about Remy, especially since he's screwed up my life about a million times, but…what's going to happen to him?" He spun a fry with his index finger and then grabbed about five to shove into his mouth.

"If you eat that many at once, you'll choke," she reprimanded. "As for Remy…you don't really want to know."

"Yes, I do," Timmy said with his mouth full. She pulled the fries away from him and onto her side of the table. He groused, spraying potato onto the wrappers. Poof giggled.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. You're not getting any more of these until you can eat like a civilized person. Even Poof eats better," she said and gestured to her son. Poof had used his fries to construct a fort with a cannon made of cheeseburger. Fortunately, none of the patrons were paying attention to her. They'd purposefully gone during an off-hour.

With exaggerated care, Timmy chewed and ate his fries. He made a point of washing it down with soda. Finally, rolling his eyes, he repeated his question.

"It doesn't matter to you," she replied. "Why are you so interested in Remy?"

"'Cuz it seems like whatever Remy's going to go through is what you're trying to avoid having me do," he said. "And whatever it is, it's got everyone else pissed off."

"Language," she said absently. "Maybe it is. That doesn't mean you need to _know_what that is."

"I wish you'd tell me!" he demanded.

"I told you I don't do that anymore!" she snapped. The cashier behind the counter looked at them and she lowered her voice.

"It's not enough for you to know that I magically sealed you from it?" she hissed.

"No, 'cuz I wanna know what's so bad Remy was practically begging me to take him with us!" he countered. Wanda leaned back in the chair and sighed. In the past, she and Cosmo had always considered their godchildren their actual children, since they couldn't have children. Juandissimo might have had other children, besides Tootie, that she didn't know about. Evidently, knowing one could have children led to lesser connections or the offer of her had proved more tempting than his loyalty to Remy. Thinking about leaving Timmy to the Shadows pained her.

"You'll be thirteen in two weeks," she stated.

"Duh," he sneered. "I know that."

Poof watched the two of them closely. He positioned his cannon near the front door and squeezed his rattle. The cannon erupted with potatoes and blasted down the fry door. Wanda's lips twitched. He had his mother's intelligence. Cosmo would never have had the patience or foresight to create anything like that as a child. Cosmo. She'd grown accustomed to thinking about him thousands of times a day.

"Did your parents ever tell you any about how babies really come into the world? Beyond wishing and a 'machine'?" she scoffed at the last two words. Cosmo had offered to tell him about the 'wands and the wings' with puppets. She reached up to tug on the choker and it clung to her neck.

"I found out at school," he said. He looked at Poof.

"You know there are people who use that for power? To hurt people? Not necessarily for fun?" she said. Her heart clenched and she recalled Lorenzo DeMedici, who had made the first offer to her, weeks back, for Timmy.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"The Shadows don't consider human children actually children. They believe they're playthings and they can do whatever they want with them. When fairies sign up with the Shadows, they usually stop caring about their godchildren and hand them off," she said and shuddered. Lorenzo had made a rather lurid request and she'd nearly killed him for it. Though she'd known abstractly people might want to hurt Timmy for that reason, she'd never believed anyone would actually touch him. Then she'd met Lorenzo.

"You didn't hand me off," he pointed out. "I thought fairies were supposed to love their godchildren."

"That's what I thought," she muttered darkly.

"Did they stop loving them? Or what?" he asked. He was fiddling with his fries again. Wanda placed a hand atop his and he flinched, but she only squeezed it gently. His lower lip quivered and he looked anxious.

"The Shadows taint everything they touch," she answered. "They corrupt fairies."

"Then why did you join them?" his tone was harsh and he glared. "What did they do to you?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" he demanded, jumping up and putting his hands on the table. Wanda pushed him back down before he made a scene. Fuming, he folded his arms across his chest, thrust out his lower lip, and glared. Poof had stopped playing with his fry house to stare at his older brother. He patted his arm.

"Timmy?" he asked quietly.

"That isn't the point right now," she replied.

"I want to know what was so bad that you sold out to them!" he snapped.

"If you can't keep your voice down, we're leaving," she retorted. "And I didn't 'sell out'."

"You're not supposed to be like this! And Cosmo's supposed to be here instead of…wherever he is. You know he's still around. We're supposed to be a family, Wanda!" he cried.

Big Daddy threatening her over keeping Timmy came to mind again and Blonda's current condition. She couldn't return to Fairy World to check on her without Jorgen receiving an alert. Her news was limited to whatever she heard through the grapevine. Sighing, she squeezed her wand under the table and everything packed itself up in neat doggy bags. The cashier behind the counter was talking to her friends.

"We're still a family," she answered, tense. "Sport, we're leaving."

"Why?" he pressed. "Because I want to know what's going on? Because you dragged me away from my parents and you won't tell me anything?"

"I've told you some things," she said evasively. Holding her wand, she ensured no one was looking and teleported them away. They appeared in a park behind trees near Dimmsdale's city limits. Poof's lower lip quivered and he pouted like his older brother. Wanda drew him into her arms and he resisted at first, but ultimately settled against her.

"You still want me to trust you, but you won't tell me why," he snapped, churlish.

"Because the alternative is worse," she answered.

"The alternative that you caused!" he countered. "This is all your fault!"

"This isn't my fault," she replied. "It's Jorgen."

"Jorgen?" he repeated. "What the fuck does Jorgen have to do with anything?"

"Language," she reprimanded. "And Jorgen has a lot to do with it. He started the contingent of rebel fairies, who disliked his version of Da Rules."

"What rebel fairies? You mean anti-fairies?" he asked.

"No. Originally, the fairies held court. You met Oberon and Titania a couple years ago. They were king and queen of the Seelie court—basically the good fairies. However, their rules were considered too strict and fairies broke off. Then we became three courts—the Seelie court, which didn't want to serve humans, the Unseelie court, which wanted to hurt humans, and then the fairies that you know. Anti fairies form only out of fairy godparents."

"Bored," he said. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"I'm starting to see why you do so poorly in school," she muttered. Louder, she said, "There are some fairies that want vengeance against Jorgen."

"But you're not one of them," he pointed out. "You and Cosmo have always been friends with Jorgen."

She flinched. "It's complicated."

Timmy groaned. "Adults always say that when they don't want to explain things."

Waving her wand again, she created a picnic scene. A red-checkered mat flew out underneath their feet, along with a basket and soda. Distrusting her, Timmy settled down and stared. Poof floated near his godbrother. She sat down too and looked down at her choker. She had to pinch it and choke herself in order to stare at the swirling black energy within it.

"You're not going to attack anyone, are you?" he asked sourly.

"Not unless I'm ordered to," she replied.

"You were ordered to attack Trixie, Crocker, and Vicky?" he asked. "And Cosmo?"

She flinched again. "I was ordered to prove my worth."

"But you weren't supposed to attack them?" he asked.

"No," she said, looking down briefly. "I wasn't. Not them specifically. As a matter of fact, they were among those I was ordered not to touch."

"I don't understand," he said.

She shrugged and opened a bottle of soda. He followed suit, eying her suspiciously. From the ways his fingers itched, she guessed he was dying to play a video game. He'd not gone this long without video games in a while, not since that long school trip. Waving her wand again, she produced a portable video game system and he stared at it for a second before taking it up.

When he was engrossed in the game, she stroked his hair (he groused), stood, and walked around. Poof was leaning into the game and encouraging his brother. She looked back at them once before heading off toward the swing-set. A contact should meet her here and discuss what her future plans would be in about fifteen minutes. The protection spell around Timmy would keep him from most conventional attacks, though she could say nothing for the unconventional ones.

Squeezing the iron chain, she propelled herself up.

"Mama?" Poof said, startling her and causing her to skid into the sand. Standing, she stared at her offspring off to the side of the swing

"I thought you were with Timmy," she said.

Poof shook his head. He sat in the baby swing next to her and waved his rattle. The swing rocked back and forth.

"Mama, what's going on? Why are you so upset all the time? And scared?" he asked in his customary fashion and she automatically translated.

"I'm not scared," she lied.

"You are," he said. She looked at him—she couldn't push him away the way she could Timmy. Poof was far more sensitive than his older brother. Closing her eyes, she kicked off from the sand.

"Where's Dada?"

"I don't know," she said. That, at least, was the truth.

"He's gone, child," a cold voice intoned. Wanda stopped the swing and halted Poof's too.

"Go back to Timmy," she ordered.

A man wearing all black materialized. He had long red hair tied back in a ponytail, a thin angular face, and a sharp nose. His dark brown eyes flashed spotting Poof and she squeezed her wand. Poof vanished, returning to his brother. The man sneered; he was taller than her by about two feet and his pointed ears suggested an elf.

"I will never understand why you cling to children," he sneered.

"That's none of your business," she replied. He glanced at the choker and flicked the amulet against her throat. Snarling, she pushed him away. The man raised his eyebrows.

"You seem to be settling in well, for someone who broke the rules of her first contract," he replied. He had a smooth tone and while he was clean-shaven, he still struck her as slimy. Slimy and greasy—he put her on edge for reasons she couldn't define.

"I didn't break them. I did what was ordered," she refuted.

"These are your next targets," he said, ignoring her. Handing her a slip of paper, he sneered. "I trust you won't botch this the way you did the first."

"You ordered three dead and I did it," she snapped.

"Cosmo is still alive," he corrected. "And the Shadows also ordered you to sunder all ties to Timmy. You continue to treat him as family."

"He is family," she said. "There was nothing in the contract about giving him up."

"Yet you've noticed that none of the other fairies have kidnapped their godchildren. They've all handed them over like good little fairies," he scoffed.

"There was nothing in the contract about giving him up," she snapped, growing heated. "Timmy is my godson and my decision. I'm not letting the Shadows touch him."

"What would you do if we ordered his death?" he asked with a smirk. "Would you defy us as you have with Cosmo?"

"Cosmo has nothing to do with this!" she snapped. Saying the name caused a deep shudder and an unconscious reach with the Bond. Mental hands grasped hers and squeezed. Yelping, she broke the contact. The man laughed.

"I lost my Bonded," the man snapped. "As well as my children. I've made allowances. You have not."

"Timmy is not negotiable," she retorted. "You should know that better than anyone, Fyraka."

Fyraka looked in Timmy's direction through the trees. At the moment, her godson was screaming at the video game console while his brother looked on.

Balling his fists, he narrowed his eyes. "Eventually, he will become an issue. Know where you stand, Wanda."

"I'm sorry about Melarni," she said, part because it was true (or had been previously) and because she wanted a calculated blow to let him know where she stood. Fyraka flinched and fire flicked from his fingertips.

"Not as sorry as Baror will be," he snapped. Waving the fire from his fingertips in a circle, he stepped through the portal and vanished.

Stuffing the envelope in her pocket, she walked back to the picnic area. Timmy hadn't noticed her approach and Poof glanced at her before looking back at the game. She slid her finger into the envelope and revealed the message. The color drained from her face.

"Mama?" Poof prompted.

"So much for staying under his radar," she grumbled.

* * *

><p>Tootie woke up early afternoon with sun shining in the window and lying in a strange bed. Pushing aside the covers, she stumbled toward the door, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Daniela held a quiet conversation with Maggie while Calente stared, brow furrowed, at his book. He snapped it shut and turned in Tootie's direction.<p>

"Good morning," he said. "Or should I say, afternoon. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Bathroom," she blurted and Calente sighed, waving his wand. She appeared instantly beside a toilet, did her business, and reappeared in the kitchen after she'd washed. The brown haired fairy frowned at her.

"Now that that's out of the way, would you like food? Drink? Sustenance?"

"Timmy," she said. Daniela and Maggie broke apart. Daniela looked sympathetic, though Maggie just looked peeved. Her hair was tight to her head and made her look more severe.

"I'm afraid we can't oblige you. We could show you what he's doing right now, but doing so would alert Wanda to our activity," he admitted.

She folded her arms across her chest. "You can't check on him without her knowing? At all?"

"No," he said. He forced a smile. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"I guess eggs," she said, resigned. Sitting down on the table, she stared at the wood surface glumly. Her dreams, what dreams she'd had, were full of Timmy. Without her parents or Vicky, Timmy was the only person she cared about.

"I can't go back to him?" she asked.

"One track mind," Daniela muttered.

"The human child isn't worthy of your affections," Maggie said. "He ignores you half of the time and scorns you the other half. And he's currently off limits. Why not fixate on someone working with the Triad? They stand a chance of reciprocating."

"Be nice, Magdalene," Daniela scolded.

"I still don't understand what the big deal is," she grumbled. "So what if Wanda's watching him? I saw him before."

"Yes, you did," Magdalene said. "Before she knew you posed a threat."

"I'm not going to threaten Wanda," she said, stifling a laugh.

"You are more powerful than she thought and better off with us. She would try to control you," Magdalene replied. "You are better under her control than rogue."

"I'm not rogue," she scoffed. "Why are you guys acting like she's poison?"

"She isn't, in and of herself," Daniela said. "It's what she's being forced to do. You saw her handiwork."

Shaking her head, she stared at the eggs Daniela piled on her plate. Her appetite waned and she pushed the plate away. Undeterred, the fairy conjured apple juice to accompany it and bacon. The bacon made her mouth water and she munched on it.

"We know the Shadows corrupt fairies," Daniela said. "We know that they break families apart and feed off the negative energy."

"We also know they started off as a rogue group against Jorgen," Magdalene added.

Tootie shook her head, her throat tight. "But that doesn't have anything to do with Wanda. Or Timmy."

"Ordinarily, no. We're not sure why they've taken an interest in her," Daniela said and scowled. "However, we can guess at why Timmy has become a hot item. They've recently acquired a dimension traveling anti-fairy who is obsessed with him."

She eyed her. "Like Timmy has become the latest boy band sensation, except in a more sinister sense. Since this anti-fairy can provide first hand information on Cosmo and Wanda, he has become valuable enough for Timmy to be a very high stake."

"Shouldn't I be there, then? To protect him?" she asked. The idea of anyone hurting Timmy filled her with helpless rage.

"Wanda will protect him," Magdalene said sternly. "She has established herself as his protector…and that may backfire."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Eat your eggs," Daniela reprimanded. Huffing, Tootie started eating.

"See? I'm eating," she grumbled.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Daniela and Magdalene chorused. Rolling her eyes, she finished her food before speaking again.

"What do you mean, 'may backfire'? And how do you guys know so much?" she asked.

"We have an operative on the inside," Daniela said. "Eat. You had a candy bar for lunch yesterday and haven't eaten for most of a day. You'll feel better on a full stomach."

"I'm going to check on our subject," Cal said and smiled. "We should be able to bring in the dragon soon."

"You're sure this will work?" Daniela asked, anxious. She searched his face and stroked his hair back from his forehead. Magdalene scoffed, floating to Tootie's side and averting her gaze.

"I'm about 95% certain it will take. My only concern is that the dragon has melded with Wanda's magical signature too," he sighed. "It will make it difficult for the white dragon to work for the Triad without getting distracted."

"All's fair in love and war, ashke," she replied. Cal smirked and popped away, spraying fairy dust on them. Tootie grimaced, picking at her eggs.

"You aren't answering my questions," she grumbled.

"We don't know the answers," Daniela said. She shrugged, conjuring a health bar for herself. Waving her wand, she created a random disco ball and struck a pose. Magdalene groaned, tugging the wand away and causing the ball to disappear. Daniela pouted.

"You never let me have my fun," she sulked, winking at Tootie.

"That's because a disco ball at lunch is not appropriate," Magdalene said stiffly. She turned to Tootie. "We'll see how Wanda progresses in the next week. We may let you speak with Timmy briefly if she doesn't appear to be sinking into the dark magic any further."

"May?" Tootie squeaked. "Timmy's all I have!"

"You shouldn't have brought him up again," Daniela scolded. "She's stuck on him and you know it."

"I need to see him! I need to make sure he's okay!" she protested.

"Then you shouldn't have left him," Magdalene said harshly. "If you were that concerned about his welfare, you shouldn't have left him alone with Wanda."

"Stop it," Daniela growled. "The poor girl's been through enough without you badgering her."

Magdalene shrugged, drifting off and away. Tootie watched her with a quivering bottom lip.

"She scared me. It's not my fault…" she protested. "I thought maybe when I woke up, it'd all be a dream. And everyone would be back to normal."

"It doesn't work like that, sweet," Daniela said and hugged her. "Perhaps we should find a distraction for you."

"I don't want a distraction," she said, suppressing a scream. "I want something to do."

"She has powers," Magdalene reminded them, drifting back. "We could teach her how to use those powers without blowing up gas lines and setting houses on fire. Not that this isn't impressive."

Shuddering, Tootie drew several successive breaths without screaming. She leaned on the table as she rose and looked from Daniela to Magdalene. "How come you're the nice one and you're not…and _you're_the one related to me?"

"You're related to Juandissimo as well," Daniela pointed out. "'Nice' is not a word I'd use to describe that self-absorbed prick."

"I'm not going to have to sit through boring lessons, am I?" she asked. She was trying very hard not to think of the gas line bursting and the Turners' house catching on fire. Tears blurred her vision and she thought of Vicky, of what Timmy had told her. Her stomach churned and she collapsed back into her chair. It was too much. She wanted to go back to sleep. She wanted someone to fix things. Resting her head on her hand, she stared at Daniela. The brown haired fairy stroked her hair. Tootie noticed she had new orange streaks in it.

"No one said they'd be boring," Daniela said to placate her. "Why don't we introduce you to a few of the other recruits and we'll see what you think?"

"I still don't see why I have to be recruited," she mumbled.

"Your powers are too dangerous to go unchecked," Magdalene said. "And it'll distract you."

"I want Timmy," she muttered, not willing to let it go. "I'm meant to be with him."

"Oh boy…" Daniela said. She tilted Tootie's head up. "Those words mean something very different coming from a fairy child than a human one."

"No, it doesn't," Magdalene scoffed. "You're putting ideas in her head."

"And you aren't?" Daniela countered. "The London Fire. Honestly, Magdalene. Do you want this child to be spooked before she can ever do anything? Fear and magic shouldn't be associated with each other."

"Can we not argue about me while I'm here?" she asked.

"Sorry," Daniela said. "If you're ready, we can take you to the training grounds. I think Phillip and Jeremy are there now."

Folding her arms across her chest, she slumped. "I don't wanna go anywhere."

"It'll take your mind off it," Daniela said.

"It's not voluntary," Magdalene snapped. She waved her wand and they disappeared in a cloud of fairy dust to what looked like a giant gymnasium. Random targets were set at intervals along the floor and one boy, a boy with black hair and brown eyes, fired a magical arrow at a target. The boy wore brown camouflage and his eyes were trained on his task. The arrow flew far wide of its target, however, and he huffed before retrieving it and firing another. By her guesses, he was a couple years older than her.

About twenty feet away, a blonde haired boy was conjuring what looked like a fire flower from Mario. It disintegrated at the last minute and, irritated, the boy kicked the pot over. The pot shattered, disappeared, and left mud all over the floor. A man with black hair shook his head at him, the boy growled, and the man instructed him to repeat the exercise. As Tootie got closer, she heard the boy remark, "This is fucking stupid. Why do I have to do this?"

"You have power over earth," the man replied calmly. Up close, Tootie saw that the man had pointed ears, grey eyes, and wore a forest green turtleneck with jeans and boots. He stood at about six feet, towering over his charge, and the boy scowled when he had to look up. For some odd reason, the boy reminded her of Timmy. Maybe it was the fact that whatever the boy was attempting, he wasn't doing it right.

"Yeah, so?" the boy countered. "This isn't earth. This is a goddamn gymnasium. If you're so good, Stef, then why don't you do it?"

"My power isn't over earth, it's over ice," he replied. "And the matter is not up for discussion. Phillip, concentrate and work on it. It's not particularly challenging once you get the hang of it."

"Says you," he muttered darkly. He looked up and beamed at Tootie. "A distraction. Excellent. Sup?"

"Uh…" Tootie looked around. Daniela floated over her shoulder and Magdalene had gone to scrutinize the other boy, who must have been Jeremy. A willowy woman with red hair spoke briefly to her. She had a fiery red aura matching her hair and Tootie was reminded briefly, painfully, of Vicky. She looked away.

"I'm Phillip, but my friends call me Phil. And you can call me whatever you want," he said, winking. "I'm a fairy mutant. I trust you are too?"

"You are not a mutant," Stef corrected. "You are a half breed. As am I."

"Yeah, but you're half dragon," Phil groused. "That doesn't count."

"It counts for this exercise," Stef replied. "You are Tootie, yes? Magdalene and Daniela indicated you would be here."

"Good news travels fast, eh, Stefani?" Daniela teased. Stef scowled.

"Don't call me that," he complained.

"Widdle baby doesn't like being called by his true name?" Daniela replied.

"I am Stefanovik," he snapped. "Not Stefani."

"Stefani, Stefani, Stefani!" she chimed and grinned evilly. "How's my widdle teenager doing?"

Stefan glared. "I'll have you know I'm seventeen in appearance, not remotely in attitude, and simply because I appear young is no reason to overlook me."

"Stefani!" Daniela chimed again and he sighed.

"You're going to ruin all my credibility, Yela," he muttered. Phillip was smirking, looking from one creature to the other. Pitying Stefan, though she barely knew him, she stepped in between the two.

"What are you supposed to be doing?" she asked Phillip.

"Conjuring an actual flower," he said and shrugged. "But every time I try, I keep thinking of that level in Super Mario I can't beat and I get distracted. It's not my fault, but Stefani here keeps critiquing me on it."

"I hate you," Stef muttered and Daniela beamed. "I'm never going to live this down."

"What are you doing here, Tootie? Is that short for something? Like I can Toot your horn?" he asked. Tootie rolled her eyes.

"Tootie's short for Charlotte," she said. "And no, you can't."

"Maybe you can toot mine!" the boy said brightly and Tootie groaned.

"Sorry," he said. "You're the first girl to show up. Apparently, fairy breeding usually results in boys. I thought I'd have to go gay for a while."

"Heaven forbid," Stefan muttered darkly. Aloud, he said, "While this fraternization may be nice, you're still not conjuring the flower properly. And if either of you calls me 'Stefani' one more time, you'll be sleeping in the Ice chambers for a week."

"Great," Phillip grumbled. "I guess I'll talk to you later, Tootie. I don't want to freeze those parts off before I can use them."

"From the top," Stefan instructed. Phillip grimaced, screwing up his face like he was concentrating on the task at hand and not on his anatomy falling off. Tootie walked away, shaking her head. She headed for the bleachers and sat down with Daniela floating near her.

"You know each other?" she asked.

"I know Stef, yeah," she said with a smirk. "Me and him go way back. He's not from this universe."

Tootie looked over at him again.

"He's an Ice dragon. Well, Ice elemental that can shift into a dragon. He's the one who found the white dragon, dormant, for us. So far, we've had no luck in finding a host to share its body."

"He just found a dragon lying around somewhere? Aren't they huge?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Daniela said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "Anyway, I rescued him from Denalia, he nearly went schizo over how close our names were, and then he decided to help. Long story short."

"You're leaving out details," she accused.

"Unimportant, insignificant details," Daniela agreed. "Phillip was right about one thing, though—fairy half breeds tend to be male. I think it's supposed to discourage interbreeding among them. Or maybe that's how the genetics work out. Don't ask me. I'm not Cal."

Tootie stared at Phillip and Jeremy working at their tasks. Phillip kept losing his concentration and every time he did, he cracked a joke. Whenever Jeremy failed at a task, he kept going. She felt like the odd kid out in gym.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked.

"I thought we might try an exercise in extending your awareness," Daniela said mildly.

"And you're going to teach me?" she asked, skeptical.

"I am," Daniela said. "It's not that hard, I promise. And once you can extend your awareness far enough, and be able to protect yourself while doing it, you can check on Timmy."

"I thought you said I couldn't do that!" she protested.

"I said you couldn't speak to him. This way, you'd be a ghost in his life and able to observe without venturing out."

"I guess it's better than nothing," she grumbled.

"That's the spirit," Daniela said brightly. "Close your eyes and pretend you're relaxed and lying down. Imagine you're in a little bubble that can float far and away…"

Some time later, Tootie had to admit this was relaxing, even if she didn't feel like she was getting anything done. Daniela was patient and comforting, encouraging her little successes and supporting her during her overall (in her mind) failure to perform. She'd managed to project herself to Stefan and Phillip about ten yards away and almost got to Jeremy when her concentration snapped. Daniela told her she was doing very well and they could stop for a while.

Jeremy looked back at her. He was sopping in sweat and limping when he walked over to the bleachers. Up close, his dark brown eyes looked almost black and his gaze seized hers. He plopped onto the bench beside her while his teacher sat, folding her skirts underneath her, and surveyed Daniela and Tootie. Daniela inclined her head and the woman smiled back, inclining hers.

"You're Tootie, yes?" Jeremy had a different accent and she frowned, trying to place it.

"Yes and you're Jeremy. Daniela mentioned you," she said and offered him her hand. He stared at it and she lowered it, feeling awkward.

"I'm sure she did," he said. "How old are you?"

"Uh, I'll be thirteen in about three months. How old are you?" she asked.

"Fifteen," he said. "I've been training since I was five."

She didn't know what to say to that. "I'm glad for you?"

The boy's lip curled. "You had better take your studies seriously. The Shadows will try to recruit you and you need to be strong enough to fend them off."

Flummoxed, she looked at Daniela. Daniela frowned, twirling her wand on her fingertips and watching the sparks fly. The woman's gaze was as arresting as her student. Tootie searched for a crown on her head, but saw none.

"This is Masha," Jeremy said. "Her brother, her twin, works on the more advanced cases. His name is Rozen—you probably won't meet him."

"Okay…" she looked at Daniela again and the fairy shrugged.

"You've been hanging around the Fairy World fairies, haven't you? You'll want to stop that. They have a tracker on you."

"I sincerely doubt," Daniela said, sniffing, "that they're tracking her anymore. She's broken with them."

Jeremy examined her. She felt a brief mental brush and jumped back, startled. Daniela, frowning, swooped down close to her.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Jeremy!" Masha scolded. "You know better. That's rude. Apologize to her at once."

Shrugging, he offered a halfhearted apology and then rose. "I'm off to take a shower. You should be careful around here. I suggest paying more attention to your studies and less attention to…him."

Glaring at Phillip, Jeremy sauntered off with Masha in tow. She looked over her shoulder and mouthed an apology to Daniela. Daniela shrugged and smiled, mouthing an acceptance. The dragon placed her hand on Jeremy's back to encourage him along. Tootie tasted something sour and hugged herself.

"Jeremy is not for the faint at heart," Daniela said. "He fell into a bad situation a few years ago and ever since then, he's been a prat. To put it lightly."

"He doesn't like Phillip?" Tootie asked. Even though she was a little discomfited by Phillip, he seemed relatively harmless. At the moment, the boy had given up conjuring a potted plant and created a flaming cat. Stefan placed small icicles in the cat's path to see how long it could go without disintegrating.

"I…" Daniela hesitated. "I don't think it's that simple."

"Then what?" she asked.

"They used to be best friends. However, as you can see, Phillip tends to be much more blasé about things than Jeremy. When it comes to the matter of the heart, things tend to get complicated."

"They liked the same girl?"

Daniela shook her head. "It's not important right now. Now, would you like to try more training or would you like to take a bet on how long that cat lasts before Stefan imprisons it in an ice box that Phil can't break out of?"

"The latter," she said. "Jeremy and Phillip aren't the only ones here, are they?"

"Oh, no, of course not. The others come in and out. Right now, a few of them are tracking the Shadows' movements. We wouldn't ask you to do that until you've had a bit more training."

"How many people are there?"

"Less than a hundred, more than fifty," she said. "Including trainers and the like. Fairy World tries to clamp down on the half-breeds, so we often have to swoop in and save them before they're imprisoned.'

"Fairy World _imprisons_half-breeds?" she asked.

"Yes," she said. "Did you think they were all sunshine and rainbows? Why do you think Wanda kept an eye on you? She was protecting you from Jorgen."

Shuddering, she hugged herself tighter. She was cold all over, deep into her bones. Shutting her eyes, she listened to Stefan's encouragement and tried not to think what would have happened to her without Wanda. Daniela put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"Don't worry about it. You're in good company. Everything will work out. You'll see."

"Vicky will come back from the grave?" Tootie muttered.

"Almost everything," Daniela clarified. "As hokey as it sounds, I'm a big proponent of love finding a way."

"You mean me and Timmy?" she asked, opening her eyes.

"You and Timmy, Cosmo and Wanda—" Daniela smiled. "Cal found me after he almost lost me. Love will conquer most things, even if it occasionally stumbles. Have faith, Tootie."

"You're so much nicer than Magdalene," she grumbled.

"I practice," Daniela said and grinned.

* * *

><p>Threatening to bring his father into this didn't work. Threatening to have him arrested and brought up on charges didn't faze him. Remy Buxaplenty had no options left, aside from threats and bribery. The man just smiled coldly.<p>

"You're not Timmy…but you'll do in a pinch," he said and pulled him closer.


	6. Swing of the Clock

Chapter Six: Swing of the Clock

In his disembodied state, Cosmo flittered toward creatures he knew. Timmy, as a human, had no ability to connect with him and, aside from Wanda, who ignored him; he had only Mikhail as a companion. Mikhail spoke very little, but what he said had layers to it. Cosmo, whose basic personality remained even if his intellect might have altered outside of his body, found himself bewildered by the ice dragon's ideas. The ice dragon was patient and explained what he could, although Cosmo sensed the great void beyond what he didn't say. Without a body, Cosmo couldn't sense where others were physically and all he knew of the ice dragon was it resided somewhere nearby.

He felt the choker around Wanda's neck as a hangman's noose. He tried indicating to her to remove it, before the situation worsened, but she had decided to cut him off again. Being half dead was rather lonely and with a stoic dragon companion, rather boring too. He missed having a body. He also missed his wife, godchild, and son, though he wasn't sure how much they missed him.

Cosmo felt the void too, though his void had a different name. Calente proposed to bind the two together soon and thought it wouldn't work. Though he knew differently, he couldn't correct him. Their missing parts matched. Mikhail would take up the crusade to save Wanda, because he couldn't save Valya. In return, Cosmo would have to fulfill tasks for the Triad, whatever they might be. He'd agreed, perhaps too eagerly. Losing Wanda was too heavy a price.

Now all they needed was for Calente to discover what they already knew. Cosmo was impatient, though he had nowhere to go. He'd never been separated from Wanda for this long. True, he was separated from her because she'd tried to destroy him, but he wouldn't let a little thing like that stop him.

Besides, Wanda hadn't been in her right mind. He mentally pinged her and it bounced back, unnoticed. He mentally pinged Mikhail and it drifted back, as though the dragon were sleeping. It was all well and good for him to sleep, when he had a body. Cosmo had no body and nothing to do but pester the few people who could hear him in this state.

He was obsessed with Wanda. Of everyone involved, only he and Wanda knew her real motivation. It was why he was so desperate to save her.

((How much longer?)) he grumped.

((Patience, fairy. She will not fall so far so quickly.))

((But the necklace is getting tighter!)) he whined. Mikhail was unmoved.

((We will find her before it becomes a part of her. We will carry her off kicking and screaming should it come to that.)) The dragon sounded grimly amused.

((What about Timmy? And Poof?))

Mikhail fell silent. It was an ominous silence, one Cosmo would have previously shrugged off and Wanda would have found alarming. Cosmo felt Mikhail's unease and amplified it, though he didn't know why the dragon was uncomfortable. He prodded at him to get him to open up and instead, he closed the emotions off. Without Mikhail to draw upon, he remembered he was half a Bonded partner.

((They're okay, right?)) he pressed.

((Poof, perhaps.))

((Timmy too! Wanda would never let anything happen to Timmy!))

The dragon stirred, restless with Cosmo's anxiety. Coiling himself tighter, he pushed the small fairy out of his mind. Within minutes, Mikhail had fallen asleep again. Without a body, he had no concept of day or night and so, any time Mikhail fell asleep, he assumed it was to avoid talking. Cosmo mentally whined, groping for someone, anyone.

((Mind your manners, little fairy,)) a cold voice sneered. It sounded a little like Timmy, except Timmy had never sounded so cruel.

((Who are you?)) Cosmo asked. ((And why do you sound like Timmy?)

There was silence in his mind, not like Cosmo had ceased thinking, but like the being had stopped to consider the question. Mikhail grumbled in his sleep and tried to force slumber on his irritating fairy companion. Cosmo pushed the thought away and focused on this unknown being. Without a body, he wouldn't get tired. Still, he found himself slowing, getting lethargic. The being's response didn't jolt him out of it, either.

((I suppose I might…I hadn't thought about it. That's kind of weird. Just because I came from him…as of late, I've noticed more physical similarities to him, too.))

Cosmo lost track of the conversation. At the best of times, he had a problem paying attention. At the worst, already tired and without a body to tether him, he drifted out of consciousness. He grasped for Wanda, failed, and slipped into the abyss again. The being's ramblings passed without notice.

* * *

><p>Wanda's solution to leaving him on a mission was to dump him and Poof in a random school after using magic so he wouldn't look strange on their attendance sheets. The mission could take anywhere from a day to a week, so she thought he should get an education in the meanwhile. Or maybe she just needed somewhere to put him that wasn't in a random house she jacked for the week. Timmy wished he could play hooky, but the spell she'd cast over the school included having very diligent truant officers.<p>

Being a new kid in any school sucked, let alone one where he had to deal with brainiacs. Wanda must've picked the school at random, because there was no way in hell she'd have dropped him here if she'd realized that the average IQ was around 125. As an average kid that no one understood, dealing with advanced science at a high school level left him utterly confused. He didn't bother to ask questions, because the kids would've picked on him more. Sitting in the back of the room, he doodled Poof and played random games with him while fighting off boredom. This sucked so hard.

None of the teachers obsessed over fairies, either, and aside from a random girl obsessed with dragons, he had nothing in common with anyone. Everyone here played a game he'd never heard of, when they weren't doing algebra for fun. It was the territory where Jimmy Neutron would have been at home, if he hadn't surpassed everyone. Timmy felt his loneliness keenly and missed everyone from school, even Crocker, and almost Tootie.

The school computers didn't let him do anything fun, either. Sitting in the back of the library to avoid the stigma of eating alone, he fidgeted with his notebook. Poof's magic was weak and no longer linked to Fairy World either. He couldn't make any big wishes. What was the point of having fairy godparents and a godbrother if he couldn't get his wishes granted? Timmy kicked the chair opposite him and brooded.

"I wish you were older," he grumbled. Wanda had told him they were cut off and the first thing he'd done was try to wish himself home. That hadn't worked. This wouldn't work either, he bet.

Poof, on the page, waved his training wand. Purple smoke erupted from the page and Timmy coughed, waving it away. A teenage boy with purple curly hair, a celadon dress shirt, and black pants emerged on top of the table, rolled off, and grinned wickedly at Timmy. Timmy looked around, to make sure no one had seen it, but, as usual with his wishes, no one had noticed. Poof stood upright, though he still floated a couple inches above the ground.

"Hey, Timmy," he said and then cleared his throat. "Wow…that's…deeper than I thought."

"That's what she said," Timmy said, grinning back. Poof looked confused, sat in the chair opposite him, and examined himself. His hands were longer, thinner, like a pianist's hands, and his body was lithe, like Cosmo's. His face, from its formerly round shape, had tightened into lines more reminiscent of his father. From Wanda, he retained his curly purple hair and nose. Timmy's stomach flipped—when Wanda found out about this, she'd freak out.

So he guessed she wouldn't find out.

"Mama said you couldn't make wishes anymore," Poof said, uncertain.

"I guess Wanda was wrong, then," Timmy replied. "What else can you do?"

"Mama's gonna be mad…" Poof hesitated.

"Wanda won't find out," Timmy scoffed. "Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"

Poof still looked uncertain. He picked at his shirt, Timmy waved his hands away, and he looked around.

"Let's make some wishes. I wish that school was over!" he announced. Poof held up his training wand and the school bells rang. Cheering now, Timmy grabbed his backpack and raced to the door. Poof followed, stopping occasionally to look around. He'd transformed into a human, although he was having problems getting walking down. Timmy was too happy wishes still worked to care.

"Hello, Timmy Turner," a familiar voice intoned. Timmy continued running and pelted straight into a wall of muscle. Startled, he looked up. Beside him, Poof whimpered and stood beside his brother. The color drained from his face.

"That went wrong a lot faster than usual," he said. "Isn't there supposed to be some sort of clause that wishes can't go wrong that fast?"

"No," Jorgen said, leaning down. Time had frozen around them, so happy and confused children stood like statues nearby. "There is no rule against making stupid wishes that backfire immediately."

Timmy craned his neck to see if anyone else had made a wish around him. Other than himself and Poof, he saw no one else with a fairy. Jorgen was still leering and Timmy's mouth dried out. Wanda was going to be beyond pissed. The last time she'd been beyond pissed, she'd murdered people. He started shaking.

"Quick, Poof, I wish we were home!" he said. Jorgen grabbed them both.

"Nice try, tiny Timmy Turner," Jorgen scoffed. Poof's wand fell on the ground as they transported to Fairy World. They appeared within the courthouse, inside the lobby, and Jorgen released them to thunder off. Timmy forced a smile and looked at his godbrother. Poof burst into tears.

"Okay, so, I'm stuck in Fairy World with a teenage version of Poof who apparently only looks like he's a teenager, Wanda's off to kill people, and Cosmo's a random ghost somewhere. This can't possibly get any worse," Timmy grumbled.

Within the courthouse, a bell tolled. Confused, Poof stopped crying and Timmy looked around. There was no one in the waiting area, and the doors were, as usual, painted on. Without Poof's wand, he had no way of exiting the area to find out what was going on. The waiting room was large, with wooden benches that were, like the doors, painted on. Groaning, Timmy rushed to the one window and hoped it wasn't ornamental. He saw nothing but clouds.

The skies darkened and, for the first time, it poured in Fairy World. Rain pelted the windows, the bell clanged, and thunder boomed in the distance. Poof whimpered, clinging to him. Timmy shuddered, hugging him back. Sinking to the floor, he wrapped his arms around him and waited for Jorgen to return.

However, it didn't appear as though Jorgen was returning any time soon. Minutes passed and he grew bored. Opening his backpack, he grabbed the game system Wanda had conjured for him earlier and sank into play. Poof watched, eyes darting around, and it was impossible to hear the sound over the bell and thunder. Still, because Timmy Turner was an expert at concentration…he lasted all of five minutes with the game.

"What the fuck is going on?" he demanded. "I wish someone would tell me!"

Poof raised his hand, but he had no wand in it. Pouting, he stared out the window. There was nothing to see, save angry rain clouds passing by. Timmy sulked, folding his arms across his chest. He'd barely heard himself over the clangor.

Scanning the walls, he launched himself at the nearest fake door. Maybe it was painted on, but the wall was thinner than it looked. All he had to do was hit in the right spot and…he slammed his arm into a wall that was much more solid than he'd thought. Arm aching, teeth chattering from the collision, he flipped the wall off. The wall, naturally, did nothing in response.

Great, now he had no idea what was going on and his shoulder hurt. Cursing, he huddled back in his corner and flipped off everything in the room. Then he folded his arms across his chest and called every fairy he could think of.

"Big Daddy! Jorgen! Cosmo! Wanda! Cupid! Juandissimo! Uh…Blonda! Snozzmo? Uh…uh…the Tooth Fairy! Crap, I can't think of anyone else. Doctor Ripped Studwell!"he yelled. "Someone get in here and answer me! Billy Crystalball! Mama Cosma!"

"Why was I the last person you called? And what happened to my Cosmo-lolo?" Mama Cosma shouted. "Why is my grandson crying?"

"It's a long story and I don't wanna get into it," Timmy said. "What's going on? Why is that bell ringing?"

Mama Cosma held up her wand and the bell muted outside of the area. Giving Timmy the darkest of looks, she grabbed Poof, held up her wand, and left the room. Timmy, stunned, stared at where they'd been. Then he flung his backpack across the room in disgust. Cursing anew, he kicked at the walls. This was the biggest piece of bullshit he'd ever been served.

Juandissimo had turned to the Shadows, as well as Wanda. Cosmo was a disembodied spirit, so there'd be no help from him. Cupid might've gone the way of Juandissimo, if their past relationship had been any indication. Blonda he didn't have any real ties to, beyond Wanda, and the same went for almost anyone else on the list. Disappointed, he tried to occupy himself for the foreseeable future. He got bored again within two minutes.

"Tiny Timmy Turner," Jorgen said, reappearing with a small form cradled in his arms. It was Blonda.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded. "Why didn't anyone answer me? And what's up with that bell?"

"That bell only rings when a fairy dies of unnatural causes," Jorgen said. "And as you might imagine, anything other than old age is considered an unnatural cause."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain anything," he huffed. He looked at Blonda in Jorgen's arms and then at the large fairy's strangely grave expression. Blonda's chest remained still, her hair black, and the same necklace Wanda wore grey against her chest. Timmy backed up, but he had nowhere to go. He had a sense of impending doom and smiled to fight it off.

"Do you understand now?" Jorgen's voice was quieter than normal, softer, almost like he was trying to cushion the blow.

"Not really," he lied. He didn't want to understand. He remembered seeing Wanda wearing that necklace weeks ago, before it had shrunk. Shaking slightly, he tore his gaze away from Blonda and fixed Jorgen a fierce look.

"Tell me what's going on," he demanded.

"She is dead while her twin roams, mentally unbalanced, on Earth," he said. "She is dead, while Wanda remains at large. She is dead because Wanda remains at large."

"No," he said. "No. Look, I know Wanda, and maybe she's been a little nuts lately, but she wouldn't do this."

"She didn't do this," Jorgen said and Timmy exhaled, relieved. His relief was short lived."But this will make matters worse."

"I still don't get why no one will tell me what's going on," he groaned, frustrated. Jorgen placed a hand on his shoulder, slammed his massive wand down, and brought them to the hospital. A hush had fallen over the place, and the normally beeping machines had gone silent. The bell, at least, had stopped ringing.

Placing Blonda's body on the cot, he disappeared again to confer with someone. Alone, Timmy fingered the necklace Blonda wore. It was cold to the touch and disintegrated upon contact. Trails of ash led up her neck and he muttered, "Wish Wanda's necklace would do that."

He stared at Wanda's identical twin and tried to see his godmother in her. Wanda had more smile lines than Blonda and she wore her age better. With magic surgery, Blonda had sought to contain her youth. As such, she was superficially prettier than Wanda, but the magic wore off. Leaning over her, he stared at the ashes the necklace had come from trying to figure out what was so potent about it. Bright pink eyes stared into his.

Blonda sat up, coughed frantically, and shoved him away. For a dead fairy, she looked pretty lively. Timmy grabbed a glass of water, handed it to her, and she swallowed it one gulp. Then, glaring at the glass, still coughing, she issued a wordless demand for more. Within the course of five minutes, she must have had ten glasses. He was amazed someone that small could hold that much liquid.

The necklace's ashes disappeared like they had never been there. Only indents on her skin showed the jewels had existed. Timmy stared again, Blonda smacked him for staring at her cleavage, and, whining, he stood back. While she didn't have her usual youthful bloom and color in her cheeks, she didn't look dead anymore. Sick, yes. Dead, no.

"Why the hell won't someone tell me what's going on?" he snarled.

"Timmy Turner, I told you—"Jorgen stopped. "You're not dead."

"Where's my sister?" Blonda croaked. She cleared her throat and the rasp diminished."Where's Big Daddy?"

"They are fugitives from Fairy World," he replied. He looked confused. "You were dead. The Fairy World bell tolled your death and I didn't feel your heartbeat."

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" she grumbled. "I need to find her."

"You are not the only one," he replied. "Until the Shadows release her, we will have a very difficult time locating her or Big Daddy. Or Juandissimo."

Blonda's eyes roved back to Timmy. Folding his arms across his chest, he faked a bored expression. In truth, he was grateful he had some information, although Jorgen and Blonda were keeping him out of the conversation.

"He knows where she is," Blonda accused.

"Uh, no, I don't," he replied. "And now I really don't know, because she's on Earth and we're in Fairy World. Speaking of which, where the hell did Mama Cosma take Poof?"

"I don't know," Jorgen said, "but this is not her jurisdiction. She can't have her grandson back until I've finished this investigation. _Stay_."

"I'm not a dog, you know," he snapped.

"There are others who would consider you less," Jorgen replied ominously and vanished again. Scowling, Timmy leaned against a tray containing various medical implements. He was trying to look cool, be the nonchalant guy unperturbed by hospitals. Instead, his hand slipped and he fell on his rear while Blonda stared. Timmy groaned.

"I know she's on Earth," Blonda said, continuing the conversation. "But I can't Feel her anymore."

It sounded like it was capitalized, although Timmy didn't know why. Narrowing his eyes, he pointed a finger accusingly at her. "What happened to your necklace?"

"The Shadows' contract didn't work," she said and rubbed the indents along her collarbone and chest. "I don't know what they offered _her_, though. You don't know where she is."

"Why the hell are you so obsessed with her?" he scoffed. "It's not like you gave a rat's ass about her before."

"I cared," she sniffed.

"Yeah, right," he muttered. Aloud, he said, "What are you going to do? Find her and rescue her?"

"Does she need rescuing?" Blonda pondered. "Isn't that Jorgen's job?"

"I don't know," Timmy snapped. "Doesn't anyone know what's going on?"

"Yes," Jorgen said. He carried Poof in his arms and Mama Cosma had accompanied him along with screeches about kidnapping. He quieted her with a dirty look and stared at Blonda. Puffing herself up, rather like a cat did when upset, she gave him an affronted look. Jorgen chose to ignore it.

"It is a long story, tiny Timmy Turner, and we do not have time to discuss it."

"Bullshit," he snapped and then, looking askance at Poof, corrected himself. "Bull. You just don't want to tell me."

"There are many things I do not want to tell you," he admitted, "but this is not one of them. You and Poof will stay with me while I conduct my investigation on Earth. You are no longer permitted to speak to her until I am certain what their leverage is."

Blonda snorted, as if the matter was obvious and they should have realized this immediately. Jorgen looked back, irritated. He narrowed his eyes and his grip on his giant wand tightened. Lower lip curled, he inclined his head at her.

"Yes?" he snapped.

"Our mother," Blonda said and then gulped, hands flying to where the necklace used to be. Jorgen's grip on the wand loosened and he paled. Looking out the window, he glanced to where the dark storm clouds commenced, near the courthouse. For once, Jorgen looked uneasy. Blonda shared his unhappiness. At least Poof was as confused as Timmy.

"And that is why Big Daddy has joined the Shadows," Jorgen said. Blonda nodded.

"I thought Wanda was always Big Daddy's favorite," Timmy said. "She never mentions her mother."

"That's because her mother disappeared thousands of years ago. Big Daddy's Bond with her was broken and they never recovered her body," Jorgen replied, sighing. "Fairy World was unable to discover what happened to her."

"Wanda was her favorite too," Blonda huffed. "No one ever paid attention to me."

"Your childhood problems are not my concern," Jorgen growled. "Did they say what they knew about Freya?"

Blonda shook her head; she'd blanched at the name. Rubbing her hand over the indentations on her skin reminded Timmy of Wanda touching her necklace sporadically throughout the day. He wished he knew what the hell was up with those damn things.

"They didn't tell me anything," she said, attempting to regain her bravado. "They preferred to communicate with Wanda. They also said something about Poof being powerful in the wrong hands."

Jorgen raised his eyebrows at Poof, who stared, unblinking, back at him. His lower lip quivered and he flew to Timmy, who opened his arms to cradle him. Timmy glared at Jorgen, although he knew he might as well be glaring at the wall. Fairy World's ruler slammed his wand on the floor and they jumped. Nothing happened. Perhaps it'd been done for effect, not because he'd conjured anything.

"Cosmo's powers and Wanda's intelligence," Jorgen said musingly. "We will return to Earth and try to intercept Wanda."

"What happens if we don't?" Timmy asked.

"I am too old for this job," Jorgen groaned.

* * *

><p>Lorenzo's prey had vanished before he had a chance to reap its benefits. The Shadows' contract with him was contingent on receiving Timmy. Without it, he had no reason to stay. Then again, without Timmy, he had no reason to linger anywhere in this alternate universe. His concerns were rather narrow in focus-he'd never been one to wax poetic about conquering the world or mass murder. He wanted Timmy, he wanted Cosmo and Wanda dead, and he wanted to be left alone. Now the Shadows wanted him to tail Wanda, because they thought she'd become unpredictable. Lorenzo didn't understand why that was any of his concern. If she wanted to go on a murderous rampage, who was he to stop her? The Shadows didn't quite see it that way.<p>

To make sure he didn't deviate from his task, they'd assigned him a half-fairy/half dragon named Novia who was a trained assassin. Lorenzo didn't like women normally, but he kept a close eye on Novia. She'd proved early on she could kill someone without blinking an eye and while he had martial training, she moved like a whip when she wanted to do so. Her speed was unnerving.

Right now, she'd flitted from alcove to alcove to study Wanda. The pink haired fairy had headed straight for her next target, someone the Shadows had deemed another of Jorgen's mistakes. Lorenzo knew he was technically considered the same, but he wasn't going to correct them. Instead, cloaked in darkness as Novia was, he watched Wanda break down the magical barrier that had existed around this community for generations. He hoped the intense look on her face matched her concentration, not mounting guilt. Through his travels, he'd only encountered one version of her completely insane and that was for reasons beyond her control.

"We're being followed," Novia commented. She had long, black hair braided into a ponytail and a muscular, lithe body. Right now, she wore all black with swords strapped to her back and a gun in a holster along her hip. Her brown, nearly black eyes caught him and pinned him, as though she blamed him for their new problem.

"How ironic," he commented. "Why should we care?"

"Because-" Novia's comment was cut off. They were in the bright sunshine, but the spell Novia had generated ensured they looked like they belonged to shadows buildings cast. A figure appeared briefly, somersaulted down to them, and landed, arms spread out. She had the same gossamer wings as normal fairies Lorenzo had encountered and stood as tall as him. Clad in black and midnight blue, she might have been Novia's twin except for the faint crown above her head. Over her eyes, she wore sunglasses to either shield herself from the sun or to keep others from determining eye color.

"You're following Wanda," the woman stated. She had cast a spell on her features so that they constantly shifted in Lorenzo's mind. Novia hissed, irritated at the glamour. All Lorenzo could tell was that she had a decent figure and held herself almost like royalty.

"How is that any of your concern?" Lorenzo replied.

"You will hold your tongue when addressing your betters," the woman snapped. She looked toward the white painted mansion Wanda approached- the fairy rang the doorbell, verified no one was home, and then disappeared to plant traps. These murders weren't to be hands on like the last ones. The Shadows feared she'd lose her edge that way.

"A stalker is my better?" Lorenzo sneered.

"You're off the case," the woman snapped. "I'll take over from here."

"We were barely on the case," Novia complained. "And who are you to order me? I am a Black Hand."

"And I am Nissa," she snapped. "I outrank you. That is all you need to know."

"The condescending comes free with a higher rank?" Lorenzo sneered. "I'm not impressed.

Her hair was bound back and she loosened it with a snap of her fingers. Curly pink hair spilled down her shoulders and Lorenzo stepped back. Smirking, Nissa snapped her fingers again and Lorenzo and Novia disappeared. Now that Lorenzo thought about it, there might have been a family resemblance. There had to be, if she had pink curly hair. Wanda only had two relatives, however, unless he'd missed grandparents or aunts.

"No one pulls rank on me," Novia huffed. "I am the second highest in command here."

"Then perhaps she's the first highest," Lorenzo retorted.

"She cannot be," Novia snapped. "I know who my Queen is."

"Aren't you in for a surprise," he taunted. Snarling, she grabbed the front of his shirt. In his pocket, he pulled out the transistor, imagined it as a blade, and slid it toward her ribs. Novia pulled back, but not before he'd scored a hit. Cursing, pressing her hands against the sparkling bloody wound, she cursed.

"Not as powerful as you think, are you?" he rebuked. She backhanded him, kneed him in the stomach, and slammed her hands down on the back of his neck. He fell hard to the ground, her next breath sounded like a sob, and he passed into the nether region between waking and unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Tootie had finally found another girl half fairy, after searching through the Academy (that looked and smelled like an old high school). Huddled in the band room, a girl with stringy brown hair plucked morosely at a guitar. Her brown eyes appeared larger than her face and she whimpered when she spied Tootie. She scudded underneath a teacher's desk and hugged her arms to her knees. Tootie pegged her age at four, if that.<p>

"Hi!" Tootie said. "What's your name?"

The girl uttered something that could have equally been "Melody" or "mmm". Her fearful eyes peered out at Tootie from beneath the desk. On her hands and knees, she stared back. She felt like she was dealing with a frightened wild animal…or Doidle in a bad mood. Above her head, Tootie spied a faintly glowing golden crown. Self-conscious, Tootie touched the top of her head, but she had no reciprocal crown. The girl nodded.

"I don't bite," Tootie promised. She sat against the desk and decided if the girl wanted to come out, it'd be up to her.

"Do you know who your parents are?" she asked.

The girl mumbled. Shifting around, she curled into a ball and whimpered. A random eraser materialized, raced across the floor, and bound out the door. Nonplussed, Tootie looked back at the girl. She was silent and Tootie heard the boys fighting again in the gym, not far from the chorus room.

"My father's Juandissimo," Tootie offered. "My mother is a human." She laughed. "That sounds strange."

The girl didn't respond.

"I have an evil older sister named Vicky. I'm glad she doesn't have powers. Didn't. Didn't have powers. Damn it. I keep forgetting," she sighed. "I don't know how I feel about her death.

"Do you have any siblings?"

She took the girl's murmur as assent and continued. Carrying on conversations by herself used to be an old pastime. Sometimes Wanda would chime in. Wanda. She was the reason Vicky was dead. The idea seemed too bizarre to hold into her head for long. If anything, she'd feared one day Vicky would murder Timmy's fairy family. She'd come close when she'd tried to torch them with a flamethrower.

"I had a sister named Vicky. Chip Skylark wrote a song about her—Icky Vicky. A few weeks ago, she tried to hurt Timmy…worse than usual. Timmy's my crush, the one I'm meant to be with. She usually tries to maim him, but this was different. Whatever it was, the Turners caught her at it—those are Timmy's parents. And they actually believed their son.

"Maybe that's why she did it. I don't know if they were there—I guess they were. They're usually there. They're there for everything in Timmy's life. Maybe…maybe that's part of why she turned. I don't know. I only found out about it when Vicky got really upset over the potential charges.

"Hurting him and nearly killing him didn't faze him. But when she tried to do _that_, they flipped.

"Vicky was completely human. I mean, she was a monster, but she was completely human. Do you have any siblings like that?"

Talking about Vicky left her with a hollow ache. She should mourn her loss, because she was her half sibling. She couldn't remember a time Vicky had been kind or generous with her. Something about Tootie's birth had jaded her. Vicky had constantly blamed her for ruining her life. She shouldn't feel glad she was dead. To be glad was to be vindictive and cruel, like Vicky.

"Before I left, I should have said something to my parents. I should have tried to talk to them again. I wonder if Mom knew what I was. I wonder if she kept it from Dad. I bet Vicky would have wanted me dead if she knew."

Tootie laughed humorlessly. "Now she's dead."

"She's mine," a high-pitched voice said and Tootie turned, startled. Cupid floated toward her and she scrambled away, gawking.

"Then she's a full blood?" Tootie asked.

"There was an accident with the magic love arrows," Cupid said and his face darkened."She's the reason Juandissimo left."

"I don't understand," she said. The girl, gangly, hastened out and scurried into her father's arms. Once there, she whimpered and clung to him. Cupid, weary, patted her on the head. He held her awkwardly; she kept slipping from his arms and he had to correct his grip.

"Don't understand what?" Cupid's tone was terse. "That Juandissimo left me or that I have a half fairy daughter?"

"Both, I guess…" she said. She hated when fairies condescended to her. It reminded her of her power struggles, that she always lost, with Vicky.

"Fairies live a long time," Cupid replied sharply. "We don't always stick to traditional roles and partners."

"I thought Juandissimo was in love with Wanda," she said blankly. "That's why I was born."

Cupid's eyes hardened and he found a comfortable position to hold his daughter. Once there, she wrapped her arms around his neck and calmed with occasional shudders. He rubbed her back and her wings fluttered.

"She has wings and a crown," Tootie observed.

"She's more fairy than you are," Cupid said. "It all has to do with genetics. And how strong the magic was when a particular child was born. I'm older than Juandissimo—my magic would show itself more clearly in my offspring."

"But what do you mean, he left you?"

"Simply because he's been pining for Wanda for thousands of years doesn't mean he doesn't occasionally find partners more suited to him," Cupid said. His tone was snippy."It was on our anniversary that he left, too. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was planned."

"Juandissimo's…not straight?" she asked, blank. She couldn't quite get over that.

"No," Cupid said. "Gay, straight, and bisexual don't mean the same thing to us as they do to you."

"Then what is he?" she asked.

"He _was _my boyfriend," he snapped. "And don't give me that crap that he left me for Wanda. If he was going to do that, he wouldn't have gotten with me in the first place."

"I wasn't?" Tootie said, completely out of her depth.

"Good," Cupid retorted. "Come along, Ophelia."

Carrying her away, Cupid floated off. Ophelia cast one last look at her and pouted. Tootie looked away. She balled her hands and pounded her thighs. The first female she'd found and she was related to her father through his relationships. She hated Juandissimo. She hated how he'd abandoned her. Everything shouldn't link back to him.

She remembered setting the street on fire and willed the rage back. Yet no matter how hard she tried, it remained a weak, untouchable thing. Frustrated, she plopped onto the floor. Fairy sentries, elves, and other beings were everywhere. She wasn't surprised when Daniela drifted in and she ignored her presence.

"Having a hard time fitting in?" Daniela asked sympathetically.

"No," Tootie lied. She stared at the drum set against the wall. It had collected dust. "Is everywhere the Triad inhabits abandoned? Like us?"

Daniela sat beside her and stroked her hair. "We're on the run. Jorgen doesn't officially recognize us and the Shadows mostly ignore us. They consider Fairy World a threat, not us."

"You're not," Tootie scoffed.

"Cosmo will," Daniela said. Tootie looked at her. "Once Mikhail Bonds with Cosmo completely, he'll be a formidable opponent."

"It's hard to imagine Cosmo as a formidable anything," Tootie replied.

"Mikhail will handle that," Daniela said, waving her hand.


End file.
